In an extraordinary media conference, Mourinho also described Souness as "a frustrated man" and bluntly contrasted their respective success as players and managers.
"The difference between me and Souness is this," said Mourinho. "Souness as a player [points upwards]. Jose Mourinho as a player [points downwards]. Jose Mourinho as a manager [points upwards]. Souness as a manager?" Mourinho then pulled a face and dropped his hand towards the lower end of his scale.
"Another difference," added Mourinho. "I was not a frustrated man because I was not a top player. He is clearly a frustrated man."
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Souness had described the Chelsea players as "pathetic" for how they
surrounded the referee before Zlatan Ibrahimovic's sending-off during
their Champions League elimination to Paris St-Germain on Tuesday.
Carragher, who was also working as a Sky Sports pundit, said it was
"disgraceful" and Mourinho's team would never be loved."The world is a bit strange," answered Mourinho. "Maybe because of diet and maybe the quality of the products we are eating, memories are getting shorter. Because, you know, when Jamie Carragher and Graeme Souness speak about it, it's because they are having a problem for sure.
"Jamie stopped playing a couple of years ago and, in two years, he forgot everything he did on the pitch. Mr Souness also, but he stopped playing a long time ago. He also forgot a couple of years after he coached Benfica that I coached Benfica. I know a lot about him. So much about him. But I'm a certain kind of education, not just in football but in life, and I prefer to laugh.
"Envy is the biggest tribute that the shadows do to the man. It's about life."
Asked if he had watched some Souness tackles from back in the 1970s and 1980s, Mourinho said: "Of course. Fantastic player. I love to see him play. I have lots of respect, in spite of some episodes, for a fantastic player with a fantastic career in a fantastic club with a top generation."
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