Jose Mourinho has claimed that he tripped himself up on purpose at Wembley last Saturday in order to give the press something to write about.
The Manchester United manager ended up in a heap on the floor after snagging his foot on a rope while he made his way toward the VIP entrance before England's Nations League clash against Spain.
Asked about the incident at his Friday press conference, Mourinho tucked his tongue firmly into his cheek before explaining that the whole thing was entirely deliberate.
Classic Jose! 😂 #MUFC pic.twitter.com/ZfPl653Kq1
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) 14 September 2018
"People called me and asked me to fall at Wembley because they need news for me. So I did it on purpose," Mourinho said with a grin.
"It was a good dive! I protected my phones. No penalty, maybe a yellow card."
Are we to assume it was also deliberate when Mourinho fell squarely on his backside while attempting to enter his Real Madrid dugout during a game against Getafe in 2011?
Or how about the time in 2005 when he attempted to wind up Frank Rijkaard by defiantly predicting Barcelona's starting XI before a Champions League clash against Chelsea only to have his grandstand 'mic drop' walk-out moment ruined by a locked door?
We all know how he loves to regularly throw out a juicy quote for the press pack to feast upon -- Friday's feisty, four-minute defence of his use of Marcus Rashford and accusing the media of "compulsive lies" being the latest case in point -- but it turns out he is almost as generous when it comes to moments of slapstick.