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Jose Mourinho guided Inter Milan to a surprise 2010 Champions League title
Samuel Eto'o's Champions League winning experience was vital in that run
Now the Cameroonian has revealed how Mourinho fired his side up for the final

Published: 06:48 EDT, 27 April 2017 | Updated: 06:48 EDT, 27 April 2017

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Samuel Eto'o has revealed that he was given the floor by Jose Mourinho to deliver Inter Milan's crucial pre-match team talk ahead of the 2010 Champions League final.

Eto'o, aged 29 at the time of the game in Madrid, had joined Inter the summer before after winning the 2009 Champions League with Barcelona.

During the 2-0 win over Bayern Munich Eto'o proved a vital piece in Mourinho's jigsaw, creating Diego Milito's second.

Jose Mourinho allowed Samuel Eto'o to deliver Inter Milan's Champions League final team talk

Eto'o had joined Inter the summer before after winning the 2009 title with Barcelona

Eto'o had made contributions throughout that season as he scored 16 goals and making nine others. During the run to the final he got the crucial away strike at Chelsea in the last eight and offered a different threat from the right-hand side of the front three.

As well as his ability on the field, Mourinho valued Eto'o's leadership off it too. Nothing is more telling of the manager's trust in the player than being asked to deliver the team talk in their biggest game of the season and that is what happened.

'Mourinho did something that few others would,' Eto'o told Sky Italia about the pre-match build-up at the Bernabeu.

Inter Milan beat Bayern Munich 2-0 to cap a remarkable run to the final at the Bernaebeu

'He gave his team talk ahead of the game, then said: "Now Samuel will tell us how we're going to win". I have to thank him for that.

'In the final, you win if you step onto the field to win and not to go out and play. Each of us thought of how much we suffered to reach that point, winning against Chelsea and Barcelona, to get to a final Inter hadn't been in for 40 years.

'I said that I had played many finals but that this was the most special. We had to do something for the people, for the Inter population who deserved it.

'I said: 'Either we win the Champions League, or we die trying. We've got to die on that pitch to bring home the cup or we'll die because we won't return to Milan with the cup'. Fortunately, it all went well.

'I turned around after my speech and Julio Cesar was crying.'