José Mourinho is a Portuguese coach who, at a given time, was described as the best football manager in the world. Born in the city of Setúbal, Mourinho has guided some of the world best teams to success.
Nicknamed “The Special One”, Mourinho’s ability to instil in his players that they are unbeatable made him a special coach. The man himself has won numerous trophies in his career, making him one of the most crowned managers in the world.
Like most football coaches, Mourinho started his career as an assistant manager. He worked alongside successful managers like Bobby Robson and Louis van Gaal.
The Early Life Of José Mourinho
Mourinho mainly played as a midfielder during his playing time. He started in a local team named Belenenses as a youth. Later, he moved to Rio Ave, another football team from Portugal. As the years went by, Mourinho had quick spells at Sesimbra and Comércio e Indústria.
Mourinho was a sports lover and always had his mind on football. He joined the Instituto Superior de Educação Física (ISEF) to pursue his career.
First Managerial Position
In 2000, Mourinho was presented with the chance to become a Benfica coach. He replaced Jupp Heynckes, a retired German coach. The Portuguese manager produced some impressive results during his early managerial career.
He later moved to União de Leiria after his proposition to have his contract extended at Benfica got refused. Under the management of Mourinho, União de Leiria proved to be a difficult team to challenge. The top Portuguese clubs became impressed by Mourinho capabilities as a manager.
On January 23, 2002, Porto approached Mourinho to replace Octávio Machado. The Special One positively responded to the proposition. During his first season in charge, Porto finished third.
Mourinho And Porto Are Champions
The 2002-03 campaign remains a memorable one for Mourinho and his Porto side. The Portuguese club won the Primeira Liga after finishing first with 86 points. Porto also claimed their 12th Taça de Portugal.
Porto overcame Celtic by 3-2 after extra time to claim their first-ever UEFA Cup. The match finished at 2-2 after regular time. The final took place at the Estadio Olímpico de Sevilla, Seville. Mourinho won his first treble as a football coach.
More Silverware For Mourinho
José Mourinho side produced another remarkable season in 2004 to retain their Primeira Liga title. They finished the campaign with 82 points. Club striker Benni McCarthy finished the season as top-scorer with 20 goals.
In the UEFA Champions League, Porto faced French side Monaco at the Arena Auf Schalke, Gelsenkirchen. Mourinho men produced an excellent display to win the match comfortably by 3-0. It was Porto second Champions League trophy and the first one for the Portuguese coach.
Mourinho quickly became famous worldwide. The top clubs around Europe became interested in securing the signature of The Special One.
Mourinho Signs For Chelsea FC
Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich convinced Mourinho to join his Chelsea side on June 2, 2004. Backed by the heavy investment of the owner, Mourinho signed some big players like Didier Drogba, Michael Essien, Mateja Kežman, Ricardo Carvalho, and Paulo Ferreira.
The gaffer delivered his first trophy for the Blues just one year later. He won the League Cup by defeating Liverpool in the final by 3-2 after extra time.
Successive Premier League Trophies
The 2004-05 Premier League campaign marked an end to a 50-year title drought for Chelsea. The Blues ended the campaign as Champions with a massive 95 points. They also set a new record for the least goals conceded in a season (15 goals).
Mourinho side defended their Premier League title during the next campaign. They finished the 2005-06 season in first place with 91 points.
Under the management of Mourinho, Chelsea also won the FA Cup in 2007 by defeating Manchester United by 1-0 after extra time. The only goal of the game came from Didier Drogba.
Mourinho has achieved much success in very little time at Chelsea. This made him the most famous coach in the history of the club.
On September 20, 2007, The Special One left Chelsea by mutual consent.
Mourinho Arrives In Italy
After being crowned champions in Portugal and England, Mourinho next stop was Italy. He became Inter Milan new coach in 2008. During his first season in charge, the Portuguese coach finished the season as Serie A champions. Besides, Inter Milan also won the Supercoppa Italiana.
During the 2009-10 Serie A campaign, Inter defended their league title. The Nerazzurri finished the season with 82 points while Roma finished in second place with 80 points.
In the same season, Inter won the Coppa Italia by defeating Roma by 1-0. Diego Milito scored the only goal of the game in the 39th minute.
On the European stage, Inter advanced to the Champions League finals by overcoming Barcelona by 3-2 on aggregate. Mourinho went on to secure his second Champions League trophy as his Inter side defeated Bayern Munich by 2-0. Both goals came from Diego Milito. It was Inter Milan third Champions League success.
The Nerazzurri set up a new record by becoming the first Italian side to win the treble thanks to Mourinho. The gaffer eventually left for Real Madrid in May 2010.
Real Madrid Unveil Mourinho As Their Coach
Mourinho was unveiled as Real Madrid coach on May 31, 2010. He succeeded Manuel Pellegrini at the hot seat.
Mourinho spell at Real Madrid was not as successful as his previous clubs. During his first season in charge, Mourinho won the Copa del Rey final against rival Barcelona. Ronaldo scored the only goal of the match in the extra time.
The Portuguese coach managed to win the La Liga title during the 2011-12 campaign. Real Madrid finished the season with 100 points, nine points ahead of second-place Barcelona.
The third and last trophy won by Mourinho during his time at Real Madrid was the Supercopa de España in 2012. Mourinho left the Los Blancos in 2013 by mutual consent and returned to Chelsea as a coach on June 3, 2013.
The Special One Returns At Stamford Bridge
During his first season, the London club could not achieve much success. In 2015, Mourinho guided Chelsea to their fifth Premier League title. The Blues finished the season with 87 points. It was Mourinho’s third league title as a Chelsea manager.
Chelsea clinched the League Cup in the same season. They overcame Tottenham Hotspur by 2-0 in the final stages of the competition at the Wembley Stadium.
Despite winning the league title the previous season, the Portuguese coach eventually left the club by mutual consent in 2015. The decision was mainly attributed due to the lack of good results.
José Mourinho And Manchester United
Mourinho became the Old Trafford coach on May 27, 2016. He signed a three-year contract with Manchester United. During his first season in charge, he delivered two trophies.
Manchester United won the EFL Cup by defeating Southampton by 3-2. Zlatan Ibrahimović brace allowed the Old Trafford team to lift their fifth EFL Cup.
Mourinho also guided his side to the UEFA Europa League final. The final took place between Manchester United and AFC Ajax at the Friends Arena, Solna. The Red Devils won the fixture by 2-0 thanks to a goal from Paul Pogba and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
On December 18, 2018, Mourinho was sacked after a series of bad results in the Premier League.
Spurs Appoint Mourinho As Their New Manager
On November 20, 2019, Mourinho arrived at Tottenham as their new coach. The Portuguese coach replaced Mauricio Pochettino.
Despite qualifying Spurs for the League Cup final two years later, the gaffer was eventually sacked. After 18 months at the club’s hot seat, Mourinho tenure was brought to an end. The club’s results in the Premier League and on the European level was not satisfying enough for the owners.
Mourinho Joins AS Roma As Coach
Ahead of the new Serie A campaign, José Mourinho was appointed as AS Roma coach on May 4, 2021.
References:
- Date accessed: May 17, 2021. Wikipedia. José Mourinho: https://bit.ly/3woSiDp
- Date accessed: May 17, 2021. Wikipedia. 2002-03 UEFA Cup: https://bit.ly/3v63zrC
- Date accessed: May 17, 2021. GOAL. Why is Jose Mourinho called ‘The Special One’?: https://bit.ly/3yi0C9p
- Date accessed: May 17, 2021. Wikipedia. 2003-04 UEFA Champions League: https://bit.ly/33PfDlq
- Date accessed: May 17, 2021. Wikipedia. 2009-10 Coppa Italia: https://bit.ly/3olw8ig
- Date accessed: May 17, 2021. Wikipedia. 2009-10 UEFA Champions League: https://bit.ly/3eQHVSM
- Date accessed: May 17, 2021. Wikipedia. 2011-12 La Liga: https://bit.ly/3ygDTL5
- Date accessed: May 17, 2021. Wikipedia. 2016-17 UEFA Europa League: https://bit.ly/3tXXa0h