Football: Jose Mourinho; the Portuguese magician
In 2004, a little known Portuguese manager won the UEFA Champions League with FC Porto. They call him ‘The Special One’ in England. Jose Mourinho is loved and hated by those who follow football. They love him for his confidence,
and they loathe him for his arrogance. But whatever the case may be, one cannot help but marvel at the absolute genius of the man.
Jose Mourinho started his coaching career under the legendary English manager Sir Bobby Robson (under whom he also served as a translator) at Sporting Clube de Portugal and FC Porto in Portugal, before following him to Spanish
club FC Barcelona. After Barcelona, he started coaching and small spells at Sport Lisboa e Benfica and União de Leiria. In 2002 he went back to Porto and embarked on a few incredibly successful years, as his team won the Portuguese Liga, Cup of Portugal, and
UEFA Cup in 2003. The next year he won the coveted Champions league with Porto and soon thereafter he left for Chelsea football club. There, he won successive Premier League titles in 2005 and 2006. In mid-2008 Mourinho moved to the Italian club Internazionale
and in a span of three months he has his first taste of Italian silverware: the Supercoppa Italiana. He ended the year on a high with a Serie A league title. He then followed that up the next year by winning the first treble in Italian history, the Serie A
league title, Coppa Italia, and the UEFA Champions League, making him the third manager in football history to win two UEFA Champions League titles with two different teams, after Ernst Happel and Ottmar Hitzfeld.
The thing that differentiates Jose Mourinho from other managers is that at the age of forty-seven, Mourinho has already accomplished what others can only dream about. Mourinho’s confidence in his ability, and in his players is
what works wonders for the team on the pitch. The manager’s confidence is reflected in the players and they become a force to be reckoned with. His ability to gel the big-name/big-ego players with the rest of the team is phenomenal. Mourinho left Chelsea after
a successful stint because of differences with the owner, the Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich. The Russian mogul did not approve of Mourinho’s football philosophy of winning matches in which ever way was necessary.
Jose Mourinho has a lot of critics as well; critics who argue that the way Mourinho’s teams play football is not pleasing to the eye. They state that he focuses on solidifying the defence, breaking the tempo of his opponent’s game
as opposed to emphasising the fluid, attractive football of Arsenal or Barcelona. However, supporters of Mourinho argue that the object of football is not to play pretty but to win games, and regardless of what may be said about Mourinho’s teams, they are
certainly winners. Moreover, Mourinho’s successes are testament to his ability to win, regardless of the aesthete of his teams.
Ultimately, this is why Jose Mourinho is one of the best managers on the planet, and why success has followed him wherever he’s gone.
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