Kurt Zouma has thanked Jose Mourinho for believing in him when he was a teenager. The French defender has also credited the former Chelsea boss for teaching him to hate defeat.
‘He is the one who opened the door of England to me. I was only 19 when I arrived there. That’s young. It’s also him who gave me belief by playing me in big matches with a lot of intensity,’ he told France Football.
‘It is also he who showed me what football in England was about. The coach is a man who detests losing. He taught me to hate defeat.Â
‘Thanks to him, I got to enjoy myself at Chelsea. He has given me a lot of things and taught me an enormous amount. I thank him.’Â
It was during Mourinho’s second reign when Zouma was drafted into the squad from Ligue 1. Even though Mourinho had stars like Gary Cahill and John Terry at the top of their game, the Portuguese boss was never shy to field Zouma.
The young French defender had a promising career until his horrible knee injury in 2015 put him out of action.
He is still young however, and trying to make his way back to the top.
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