José Mourinho wanted to sell me after the birthday night, but I gave him the iconic Old Trafford moment.

Manchester United's clash against FC Porto on Thursday will see another chapter written in the exciting history between the two clubs.

United manager Erik ten Hag heads to Portugal hoping his team can kick-start a stuttering season.

A win at the Estadio Do Dragao would go some way to relieving some of the pressure on the Dutchman in a match that has often yielded results.

The match is synonymous with iconic goals and timeless moments dating back decades, and none more legendary than José Mourinho's famous sprint down the touchline at Old Trafford 20 years ago.

In fact, it was the climax of a psychological master plan, according to former FC Porto star Costinha, who scored the winning goal that night to silence a stunned Old Trafford.

Special One's stock rose during the 2003/04 campaign, having led the Portuguese giants to UEFA Cup glory the previous year.

The relatively unknown manager was quickly becoming a household name across Europe and had set his sights on club football's biggest prize.

Achieving such a feat with a Portuguese club in the era of financial dominance of the Premier League, La Liga and Serie A was like a throwback to the good old days of the European Cup.

Mourinho's vision of dreaming big transcended the entire legendary Portuguese club, achieving incredible success that few expected.

But the feat was not without conflicting moments, as Costinha discovered very well after a birthday night with his teammates.

“My birthday is December 1 and, as I used to do, I invited all the FC Porto players to dinner on my birthday,” Costinha recalled.

“Dinner finished and I said 'okay, I have childhood friends coming from Lisbon, I'm going to go out and have a drink with them.'

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“We played against Maritimo, I think it was four days before. Dinner was on Tuesday or Wednesday and our next game was on Sunday.

“I'm going, but I'll be honest about it. I'm not going to hide it and tomorrow I'm going to train and on Sunday I'm going to play and I want to win.

“No one needs to come and I'm not going to invite any of you because I don't want anyone pointing fingers at me because one of you gets caught.”

“At FC Porto there was no point in hiding anything, they knew everything.

“Whoever thought they could do things without the knowledge of the club was wrong.

“The team said, 'No Costa, it's okay, we'll go with you,' so we all went out.

“We went out, each one assumed his responsibility. Then we played against Maritimo. We tied and at half-time I remembered Mourinho's words and the changes he made.

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“He eliminated Benni (McCarthy) and Maniche and I said something strange was going to happen here. At the end of the game Mourinho didn't say anything.

“Two days later, when I arrived early to train with Jorge Costa, I looked around and saw the club president's car. When the president parked at the training center it was because something was wrong.

“We're sitting in the locker room and Jorge Costa says: 'Mourinho is coming here to talk.' Mourinho rarely entered the training ground locker room, saying it was the players' sanctuary.

“Mourinho comes in and says 'you' while pointing at me. You are responsible for the tie against Maritimo, you took out the players on your birthday.

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“I just know that if we don't win the Portuguese league and the Champions League, it's your fault. And I already told the president that I want you to leave, I don't want you here in January.

“He gave me such a lecture that I took off my equipment, I didn't want to train.”

The dispute with Mourinho occurred before a Champions League clash with real Madrid Porto has already qualified for the round of 16.

Costinha was on a yellow card and at risk of missing the first leg of the round of 16. He also knew that any decision not to train ran the risk of a player rebelling in his favor, something he wanted to avoid.

“It showed the team spirit we had,” he added. “They said 'if you don't train, neither will we.'

“I told them they had to train. “I was between a rock and a hard place, I suited up and trained.”

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Mourinho continued to berate Costinha, saying: “You are going to play in Madrid and if you get a yellow card, I don't care because you won't be here in January.

“I don't give a damn, your life here in Porto is over.”

Things took a strange turn in that morning's training session leaving Costinha dazed and confused.

Later that day, there was a post-session confrontation in the car park that forever changed his relationship with Mourinho.

“Throughout training he was saying 'good job Costa, Costa is here, as if nothing had happened. I thought he was making fun of me.

“After training, when I was about to leave, Mourinho stopped in front of me and blocked my car before saying 'see you tomorrow, Costa.'

“I was p***** and from then on our relationship became very formal. I didn't talk to him like before and I didn't joke with him anymore.

“I played in Madrid, they gave me a yellow card and after the game he came, hugged me and told me 'I knew I could count on you.'

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“I thought, 'This guy is crazy.'

Porto's reward for qualifying from their Champions League group was an excellent draw against the Premier League champions. manchester united.

United had lifted the trophy five years earlier and were determined to win another in the final in Gelsenkirchen.

Costinha was preparing for an exit from the club with no expectations of facing Sir Alex Ferguson's side in the intriguing double header.

However, Mourinho had other plans up his sleeve and threw another curveball at the midfielder.

“We came back in January after the winter break and I played the first game against Rio Ave,” Costinha said.

“Mourinho comes up to me and says: have you seen the Champions League draw? Amazing. First we played against Manchester United at home, but you can't play because you are suspended.

“Maybe we will win 1-0 or 2-1 and in the second game you will be available. Then he gets up and leaves.

“I sat there looking at him and thought, 'Aren't I supposed to leave the club?'

Mourinho's prediction came true as Porto claimed a 2-1 first leg victory over the Red Devils thanks to a McCarthy double.

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The script produced its fairytale moment for Costinha, who had suffered since that night out in December 2003.

And it was fitting that he scored a last-gasp equalizer at Old Trafford to send the Portuguese side into the quarter-finals at United's expense, prompting Mourinho to run down the touchline to join the celebrations.

Porto won the Champions League, defeating Monaco 3-0 in the final and sweeping the UEFA Super Cup, Portuguese Cup and national title.

In the end, Costinha was not blamed, but upon reflection, the midfielder understood why Mourinho took such a firm stance towards him.

“I'm mentally strong and he knew he could tell me these kinds of things and that others would see it,” she said.

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“Others would think, 'if he can do this to Costa, I don't know what he would do to us.'

“I wanted to send a strong message and the truth is that it worked.”