Anthony Gordon: Barcelona's New Signing and Mourinho's Admirer

Anthony Gordon, Barcelona’s bold new bet, has never hidden it: he grew up idolising José Mourinho.

Now, as Barça’s first signing ahead of next season, the 25-year-old arrives in Spain with a €70 million fee plus €10 million in add-ons hanging from his neck and a story that links him, oddly enough, to the man tipped to take over at Real Madrid.

The night Mourinho said, “You are incredible”

The connection crystallised on a Champions League night in October 2025. Newcastle faced Mourinho’s Benfica. Gordon stole the show: first goal, then an assist, and a performance that ripped through a classically organised Mourinho side.

At the final whistle, the Portuguese coach made a beeline for him. Gordon later revealed the brief but telling exchange.

“Mourinho told me, ‘You are incredible,’ which is a great compliment for me, because when I was a child he was my favorite coach in the whole world,” he said. For a player who had grown up glued to Mourinho’s touchline theatrics, it meant more than just a kind word in the tunnel.

Gordon has always been fascinated by the paradox of Mourinho’s football.

“It’s curious, because he was always a very defensive coach, but I loved the way… even so, the bench was always on its feet,” he reflected. The young winger saw something of himself in that siege mentality. “Mourinho creates a real team spirit; it’s as if it’s us against the world. I recognize that in my own game, so it was a great compliment… It means a great deal. Even if I didn’t idolize him, praise from any coach at this level carries a lot of weight.”

Now, the “Mourinho admirer” is about to wear Barcelona’s shirt while the Portuguese coach appears set for a second spell in white at the Bernabéu. The narrative almost writes itself.

From Everton prospect to Champions League force

Behind the quotes and the romance lies a hard, cold reality: Barcelona have paid big money for a player who has exploded on the European stage.

Gordon, capped 17 times by England, was tied to Newcastle until 2030. The “Magpies” signed him from Everton in 2023 for more than €46 million, a move that raised eyebrows at the time. He arrived as a promising winger. He leaves as a fully formed European weapon.

In the Premier League this season, his numbers are solid if not spectacular: 6 goals and 2 assists in 26 matches. The real statement has come in the Champions League. Ten goals and two assists in just 12 games. That is where he has turned from domestic talent into continental problem.

Those performances triggered a scramble. Bayern, Chelsea, Manchester United – all circled. Barcelona moved first and hardest, closing a deal that speaks both to their faith in Gordon and to their determination to refresh an attack that has leaned heavily on Raphinha and others in recent years.

In England, the comparison has been made directly: Anthony Gordon as a kind of Raphinha 2.0. Same profile on paper, different edge on the pitch.

What Barça are getting

Strip away the transfer fee and the noise, and a clear footballing profile emerges.

Gordon’s natural habitat is the left wing, driving inside, attacking defenders, and dragging backlines out of shape. But he is not chained to the touchline. Coaches have used him as an attacking midfielder, drifting between the lines, and on the right, where his intensity and direct running still bite.

That tactical versatility is one of the reasons Barcelona pushed so hard. He can stretch the pitch, tuck into pockets, or press from the front. He gives a coach options – and a defence headaches.

Then there is his mentality. Gordon plays with an edge. He chases, harasses, and defends with the same hunger he shows when running at a full-back. He thrives in chaos, using his speed and aggression to turn organised back fours into scrambled, panicked units. That “us against the world” energy he admired in Mourinho’s teams is visible in his own game: he does not simply participate in matches; he tries to tilt them.

For a Barcelona side still trying to reconcile its traditional control with the demands of modern, high-intensity football, that attitude could be as valuable as his goals.

A Barça signing with a Madrid shadow

There is a delicious twist to all this. The boy who once called Mourinho his favourite coach now lands in Barcelona just as the Portuguese looks poised to take over at Real Madrid again.

On one side, a winger who feeds off hostility and big nights, now wearing blaugrana. On the other, the coach who told him, “You are incredible,” potentially plotting against him from the rival bench.

Barcelona have not just signed a winger from Newcastle. They have brought in a player shaped by the Premier League, forged in the Champions League, and emotionally linked to the man who may soon stand in the opposite dugout.

When the first Clásico of this new era arrives, and Gordon looks across to see Mourinho marshalling Madrid, how much weight will that old compliment carry then?