After being coached by several defensive masters, this Portuguese veteran's defensive skills are very good.
Although he appeared fierce when tackling Cristiano Ronaldo, it was relatively clean. Chen Zhong's action wasn't aiming at him, but mainly a warning to Atletico Madrid players to cool down their movements.
And Mourinho also noticed Thiago's gaze; two Thiagos brought a turning point in his career.
One was during his tenure at Chelsea in 2006, Thiago Cardoso Mendes, an absolute starter who only missed four games, helped him and Chelsea win their first Premier League title in 50 years and helped him reach the Champions League semifinals.
The other was last season when coaching Inter Milan, Thiago Motta Santong Oliveira, although in the semifinals, because of Barcelona's Busquets and his "despicable" "ugly" face-covering performance, missed the Champions League final, he was an absolute starter and trusted aide for Mourinho at Inter Milan.
