Rulani Mokwena Reacts to Clip of Jose Mourinho Explaining Why He Played Ronaldo as a Striker

• Jose Mourinho is a master tactician
• The AS Roma boss once pulled off a genius move to help Real Madrid beat Barcelona
• Mamelodi Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena has lauded the Portuguese after learning about the move

Jose Mourinho is one of the best coaches of all time. The Portuguese has coached some of the best players and teams in his career.

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena responded to a clip of the AS Roma boss explaining why he decided to play Cristiano Ronaldo as a striker in El Clasico.

In the clip posted on X, Mourinho spoke about why he played Ronaldo as a No.9 in El Clasico in the Copa del Rey final in 2011.

Ronaldo was the best winger in the world before he joined Real Madrid in 2009. However, his game drastically changed in Spain. He started playing as a forward most times, which saw him become a superstar.

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In that final, Mourinho left Karim Benzema, Gonzalo Higuain and Emmanuel Adebayor on the bench. It was a risky move, and it paid off. He didn't want Ronaldo to keep tracking back to defend against Barcelona right-back Dani Alves

The Al-Nassr superstar leapt to head home a 103rd-minute header from Angel Di María's superb cross to help Real Madrid win their first title under Mourinho, per the Guardian.

Mokwena on Mourinho

Mokwena reacted to the clip, lauding Mourinho and his influence on the game.

"Listening to this makes me really appreciate this Jose Mourinho for his influence in coaching during this era a lot more than I think I did. Details in small things, every word spoke makes football sense."

Mokwena recently said he closely followed iconic coaches like Mourinho and Pep Guardiola, per FIFA. The Sundowns boss also said his philosophy was influenced by Arsène Wenger and Roger Schmidt.

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Mokwena compares Sundowns to two EPL giants

Sports Brief earlier reported on Mokwena comparing his team Mamelodi Sundowns, to two English Premier League giants after their victory over Pyramids FC in the CAF Champions League.

The Premier Soccer League champions secured an important three points with a 1-0 win over the Egyptian side at the 30 June Stadium on Wednesday evening.

Teboho Mokoena's lone striker in the 17th minute gave the South African the deserved win in Egypt as they went top of Group A with seven points.