Mourinho reveals the Spurs moment that made him fall in love with the FA Cup

Tottenham head coach Jose Mourinho is about his embark on his first FA Cup campaign with the Lilywhites, starting with a third-round tie against Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium on Sunday.

Ahead of the game, the Spurs boss has talked about his love affair with the competition, which he won back in 2006-07 with Chelsea.

Spurs themselves have a rich history in the competition having won it on eight occasions and Mourinho revealed that he will never forget watching Ricky Villa’s goal in the 1981 FA Cup final that helped Spurs beat Manchester City.

Speaking ahead of the tie, the 56-year-old told the Independent, “For me, the FA Cup is a very, very special cup. And that’s for me, individually. Me as the Tottenham coach I know what the competition means to the Tottenham supporters.

“The history they have, the memories they have, the victories they have. The unforgettable goals they scored. The Ricardo Villa goal I watched as a teenager I don’t forget.

“I could only imagine what it means to the Tottenham fans. I was in my house with my dad and FA Cup finals – late 60s, early 70s – there were not many matches live on TV.

“I think national team matches, the three European cup finals and the FA Cup. And the FA Cup was basically the last match of the season so I think I didn’t miss one in that period. Little kid, young teenager, I don’t think I missed one.”

The FA Cup is arguably the most realistic chance the club has of winning silverware this season and Mourinho made it clear that he will be treating the competition with the same importance that he does the Premier League.

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It is certainly nice to see that Mourinho is aware of the club’s history in the competition and is willing to treat it with respect. He will no doubt view the competition as a great opportunity to end Spurs’ recent trophy drought and get the players believing they can compete for major honours.

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