With the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations having come to a thrilling conclusion, manager Jose Mourinho is said to have been left surprised by a certain nation's display at the tournament.
Hosts Ivory Coast were crowned the champions of Africa after they defeated Nigeria 2-1 in the final on Sunday night.
Read: Nigeria boss: Why we lost the AFCON final
The competition certainly did not lack any surprises, with the eventual winners themselves having at serious risk of being eliminated during the group stage but managing to qualify for the knockout phase after finishing third in their group.
While the Elephants' journey is arguably the biggest shock of the tournament, there were also some mishaps for other historical giants.
Algeria and Tunisia were dumped out at the group stage, while Egypt scraped through to the round of 16 without winning a single game.
The Pharaohs, who have won the competition a record seven times, then suffered a shock exit at the hands of DR Congo in the last 16, ending any hope they had of claiming a first AFCON crown since 2010.
Their elimination prompted the Egyptian Football Association to sack manager Rui Vitoria and replace him with the national team's all-time top goalscorer Hossam Hassan.
Portuguese coach Ricardo Formosinho, who has close ties with Mourinho, has revealed that the former Real Madrid and Chelsea boss did not expect the north Africans' disappointing showing at AFCON.
"Mourinho was surprised by what happened to Egypt in the AFCON," Formosinho told Al Hayah TV channel, per KingFut.
"He closely follows football globally, including in Egypt, and tells me he admires some players there.
"... I don't know how Egypt appeared in this manner because they have many talented players.
"Although Rui Vitoria is an outstanding coach, football sometimes presents surprises.
"... I have followed Hossam Hassan's tenure as the Egyptian national team coach. I don't know him as a coach, but I know he was a great player. I don't anticipate what he will do with the team."
Read: Man Utd snatch third straight Premier League win
You must be SIGNED IN to read and post comments.
WATCH: