How are you doing away from home? Mourinho reveals the story behind receiving McTominay’s jersey and how he upset Pogba at Manchester United.

During this week’s Champions League group matches, Mourinho’s Benfica hosted and beat Napoli, the Serie A champions, 2-0, with goals scored by Richard Rios and Leandro Barreiro. After the game, Mourinho obtained the No. 8 shirt of former United star Scott McTominay.

At the post-match press conference, Mourinho showed up confidently holding a bag in front of the journalists, which intrigued them greatly.

One reporter joked, “I noticed you brought a bag; is that a gift for any of the journalists here?”

Mourinho laughed and shook his head: “That’s McTominay’s jersey. I was the one who gave him his debut. To ensure he started, I benched Pogba. So, at the very least, he should give me his shirt!”

Mourinho revealed he now uses McTominay to motivate Benfica’s young players: “I told McTominay that the young players I bring on in the final moments of matches are the next generation of McTominays! Especially the last one (José Neto), I believe he will make history.”

Now 29 years old, McTominay worked with Mourinho at Manchester United for nearly two seasons. The Scottish player, who joined United’s youth system at age five, was initially underestimated, but in May 2017 against Arsenal, “The Special One” gave him his debut. McTominay replaced Mata, and weeks later, he made his first Premier League start against Crystal Palace.

The benching of Pogba Mourinho mentioned happened during the Champions League knockout stage against Sevilla, which marked the beginning of the rift between the French star and the coach. Mourinho even created a special award for McTominay at Manchester United’s annual awards ceremony — the Coach’s Player of the Year.

Interestingly, because Manchester United had no trophy prepared, they had to improvise with a candle holder. That award never appeared again, making McTominay the only player in club history to receive it.

After Mourinho was dismissed, McTominay stayed at United, making over 250 appearances until his transfer to Napoli in 2024.

At Napoli, McTominay scored 12 goals, helping Antonio Conte’s team win the Serie A title. He was named the league’s MVP and ranked 18th in the 2025 Ballon d’Or voting.

Mourinho’s support for McTominay extended beyond Manchester United to the international stage. Born in Lancashire, England, with a Scottish father, McTominay was uncertain whether to represent England or Scotland. In 2018, the Portuguese coach helped by advising then-Scotland manager McLeish to reach out to McTominay.

Acting as a mediator, Mourinho arranged a meeting between McTominay and McLeish, while England’s coach Southgate took no action, leading McTominay to join Scotland. He will represent the “Tartan Army” at next year’s World Cup. In November’s decisive qualifier for the North American World Cup, McTominay’s overhead kick amazed everyone.

This is also something Mourinho is very proud of. He said, “When I think of Scotland, I think of my boy McTominay. To me, he is one of Europe’s finest midfielders. That kid is amazing, and I’m proud of his career because I brought him into United’s first team at 18 when no one believed he could become the player he is today.”

McTominay is also grateful to Mourinho, being the only Manchester United player to warmly embrace his former coach when he managed Tottenham on the sidelines.