Leon Balogun reminisces victory against Jose Mourinho ahead of Europa League clash

By Oyediji Oluwaseun Babatunde

Glasgow Rangers defender Leon Balogun said he has been on the winning side against a team coached by Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho.

He said this ahead of their knockout stage clash with Turkish side, Fenerbahce.

Mourinho’s Fenerbahce will face Rangers in the Europa League on Thursday.

Balogun was on the winning team in that affair, a 3-2 victory for Brighton against Mourinho’s Manchester United in the 2018/19 season.

“I think I only played against Mourinho once,” Balogun said, per Ntvspor. “It was my first game in the Premier League and we won 3-2 against Brighton when he was managing Manchester United.

“So it’s a great memory. He’s a very, very big character. He’s a very big manager in the football world and there’s a lot of respect for his name.”

The former Queens Park Rangers (QPR) defender is a fan of Jose, highlighting his charisma and bluntness, which is usually perceived as arrogance.

“I personally enjoy his press conferences. Many people call him arrogant. But I think he is a very special character. And I think we need a few characters who are not so ordinary to keep football entertaining.”

“We need to take at least two big steps from today to get results. The fact that we will probably be playing European football again in a week will help. This is a big chance, a big opportunity. And we really need to give it our all on the pitch. We have to do that anyway, but even more now.” He concluded.