As Fenerbahçe prepare to host Galatasaray in the first Intercontinental Derby of the Turkish football season on Saturday, all eyes will be on the biggest Süper Lig arrivals this season by far – José Mourinho and Victor Osimhen.
Mourinho was appointed Fenerbahçe head coach in early June, creating a wave of optimism among supporters that they could topple sworn rivals Galatasaray, who have won the league two seasons in a row. Fenerbahçe, by contrast, have not won it since 2013-14.
Gala responded with a whopper of a late loan signing to cap off the transfer window. After Chelsea‘s Deadline Day bid for Osimhen fell through, Gala managed to bring him in from Napoli on an agreement until the end of June 2025.
Michy Batshuayi leaving Fener for the defending champions, who pipped them to the title last season, had been a coup for Galatasaray, but the loan signing of Osimhen was an acquisition beyond comparison.
So far, they top the Süper Lig standings with 15 points from five games, while Fener are second with 13.
Never one to shy away from a moment such as this, Mourinho stoked tensions when he accused Osimhen of going down too easily.
“Osimhen is a fantastic player, he is a player that if I was in a club with the potential to pay £70-75m I would buy. He is a fantastic player,” Mourinho started, as per the Independent, seemingly playing it safe at first.
“Of course, he came [to Türkiye] in different circumstances but it doesn’t matter the circumstances. What matters is that Galatasaray have got a really fantastic player.”
However, what would a Mourinho comment on one of his rivals’ best players be without the slightest hint of provocation?
Mourinho added: “I don’t have problems with Victor, in fact we have a very good relationship but every time I play against him I speak with him because I don’t like the way he behaves. He dives too much.
“The last time we played Roma against Napoli, I had this conversation with him and I told him ‘look, you are one of the two best African players. It is you and [Mo] Salah. In the past Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o, George Weah, you cannot behave like this.’
“He dives too much and that’s my problem with him. After 10 minutes we are fine and have a good relationship. For the Turkish league [his arrival] is fantastic and for Galatasaray it is fantastic too.”
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Mourinho urges Fenerbahce to embrace gamesmanship
Jose Mourinho wants his Fenerbahce side to mimic the feigning injury and time wasting he claims their Turkish league opponents employ.
The Special One is no stranger to mind games, having deployed them throughout his career to motivate his career and derail opponents. However, it is always risky to target a player as talented as Osimhen.
Rafael Benítez, then manager of Liverpool, found this out when he came up against another African superstar – Didier Drogba, who at the time was a key player for Chelsea, but also one with a reputation for going down too easily.
“I have a lot of film clips of Drogba from over the years. So I was really, really surprised to see him on the ground so many times – no, really after four years I’m not surprised at all,” Benítez said after Liverpool’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea in the first leg of the 2008 UEFA Champions League semi-finals.
“He’s very impressive at doing that. I have clips of him falling over every time. I have shown some of the clips to some of the players.”
Drogba responded by accusing Liverpool centre-backs Jamie Carragher and Martin Skrtel of roughing him up and said: “I finished the match with bruises everywhere. Last year, I broke a rib against Liverpool in the Champions League semi-final.
“Strangely, that escapes the statistics of Benítez. It will not affect me. If I fall, I will always get up. The best response I can give will be on the pitch.”
Indeed, Drogba scored twice as Chelsea won 3-2 to make their first UEFA Champions League final.
However, Mourinho is a master at mind games, almost beyond comparison, and rarely comes out on the losing side of a battle he decides to pick ahead of kick-off.
From demolishing Arsenal 6-0 with Chelsea after calling rival manager Arsène Wenger a “specialist in failure” to creating a siege mentality at Real Madrid en route to a 100-point season that restored their winning spirit, Mourinho usually knows how to prepare his players and rile opponents up.
As the two Istanbul giants lock horns, the subplot of Mourinho’s mind games adds extra intrigue to a fixture already brimming with passion, history, and significance. Both teams will be determined to secure bragging rights, but Osimhen’s response to the Portuguese manager’s comments could be decisive.
The Turkish Super Lig airs on ESPN’s channels in Africa (DStv 218 and 219 and Starsat 248)
