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‘This one counts as nine!’ – José Mourinho has humorously claimed that he has added an unbeaten season with Benfica to his list of career achievements, equalling Arsenal’s famous ‘Invincibles’ record.

During an exclusive appearance on the Beast Mode On Podcast, Mourinho joked that he considers Benfica’s undefeated 2025-26 Primeira Liga campaign as his ninth league title. Although Benfica ended the season without silverware in Lisbon, the newly appointed Real Madrid manager expressed pride in an achievement that few clubs at the elite level have managed to replicate.

Mourinho has previously lifted league titles with Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan, and Real Madrid.

The Portuguese tactician returned to his managerial roots at Estádio da Luz in September 2025, having first taken charge of Benfica in 2000. Despite remaining unbeaten throughout the Primeira Liga season, Benfica finished third—eight points behind champions Porto.

That particular honour had twice been collected by Mourinho during his time at Estádio do Dragão. He later secured three Premier League titles across two separate spells with Chelsea, followed by consecutive Serie A triumphs at Inter Milan and a La Liga crown with Real Madrid in the 2011-12 season.

Mourinho’s Benfica side mirrored Arsenal’s 2003-04 ‘Invincibles’ campaign, though without clinching the league title.

Speaking to Adebayo Akinfenwa on the Beast Mode On Podcast, Mourinho explained why he still includes that Benfica season among his personal accolades.

When asked about going unbeaten but failing to win the title, he said, “If you want a funny answer, and at the same time an arrogant answer… I won eight championships, but never unbeaten. So now this one counts as nine. It’s not a title but it’s a good feeling.”

He continued, “We were never top of the league. We had a pretty good season. Porto, they lost a couple of matches, but they just kept winning and winning. We were also winning, but when you start drawing, the gap grows. We couldn’t catch them, but the feeling of being unbeatable—of course, Arsenal’s Invincibles from 2003-04 are the true example—was still a wonderful experience.”

Mourinho also reflected on his early glory days, recalling his first UEFA Champions League triumph with Porto in 2004, a moment that remains one of his proudest achievements.

He said, “The memory was like we did something incredible. The fact is, since then—2004 to 2026—a Portuguese club has never won again. A Portuguese club has never reached a final again. A Portuguese club has never reached a semi-final again. That gives you a sense of the magnitude of what we accomplished. It was like touching the sky.”

José Mourinho appeared on the Beast Mode On Podcast as part of his collaboration with Coca-Cola. The partnership features the ‘Jose vs Mourinho’ project, in which two AI-generated versions of the legendary coach debate World Cup-related topics daily throughout the tournament.