Jose Mourinho brutally mocks former Chelsea and West Ham defender Kurt Zouma while revealing he's a dog lover

Jose Mourinho has savagely mocked former West Ham defender Kurt Zouma while revealing that he is a dog lover. 

The Portuguese boss name dropped the French defender during a discussion with ex-Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel, who inquired about his pet interests.

‘Dogs,’ Mourinho told the Nigerian. ‘But I don’t have any problems with cats. I’m not Kurt Zouma.’

His comments come three years after footage emerged of Zouma and his brother Yoan – abusing a cat in his kitchen, which eventually led to the pair being prosecuted by the RSPCA.

The Frenchman pleaded guilty to two counts under the Animal Welfare Act when he appeared at Thames Magistrates’ Court in east London back in May 2022.

As a result, Zouma was fined two weeks’ wages worth £250,000 by West Ham and sentenced to 180 hours of community service.

The Frenchman pleaded guilty to two counts under the Animal Welfare Act when he appeared at Thames Magistrates’ Court in east London back in May last year

Zouma was mocked by opposition fans in the aftermath. They were seen holding inflatable cats while heading to the London Stadium

West Ham pledged the fine would be handed to a number of animal charities, while Zouma apologised for his actions and promised to make it up to his fans.

The 30-year-old, who left the London Stadium for Saudi Pro League outfit Al Orobah last summer, reflected on his actions and spoken about how the incident has impacted his family in an interview the Evening Standard in June 2023. 

‘It’s been a tough time for me and for my family,’ he said. ‘We’ve been through a lot. I made a mistake, I know – I made a bad one. I have to say sorry again for what I’ve done, but life is about moving on. 

‘My wife and my kids, my family, everybody around me, even at the club, the lads, the fans, people have helped me through everything. It affected me but they helped me and I’ve kept a smile on my face, because that’s who I am.’

He was mocked by opposition fans in the aftermath. They were seen holding inflatable cats while heading to the London Stadium.

Mourinho, meanwhile, has made his affinity for dogs well known and even publicly shared the heartbreaking news of the death of his family pet in 2019 when he was the manager of Tottenham. 

The Portuguese was asked by presenter Jim Rosenthal if he’d enjoyed Christmas so far.

An emotional-looking Mourinho replied: ‘To be honest, it was very sad because my dog died and my dog is my family. But we have to move on.’

Mourinho’s daughter Matilde posted pictures of the pet on her Instagram page back in 2017

The Yorkshire Terrier, named Leya, is the same pet that hit the headlines back in 2007 when it was caught up in a row between the Portuguese manager and police. 

Mourinho was arrested and cautioned in an argument over the dog’s right to be in the country after questions were raised over whether it had the correct vaccinations, prompting an animal health official to try and put it in quarantine.

A spokesman for Mourinho said at the time: ‘Jose Mourinho can confirm that he was cautioned by police, and released without charge earlier this morning after an incident involving his pet dog’.

‘The incident occurred due to a misunderstanding over documents required for veterinary regulations. Mr Mourinho would like to make it clear that his pet dog was bought in England from a reputable breeder and has had all its necessary inoculations. Full cooperation will be given to the authorities over any animal health issues.’