Manager Profile: FC Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan and now Real Madrid Manager Jose Mourinho
Jose Mourinho is one of the most recognizable football managers in the world right now. The self-proclaimed 'Special One' has won all there is to win in the world of club football and he has only been the head coach for 8 years. Such a phenomenal rate of success has led some to call him the best manager ever.
Mourinho started off as a player but unsatisfied with his playing career, he decided to give management a try. Initially, he had to settle for some low-profile coaching jobs, but arguably his most important job was one of an interpreter. A man of many languages, Mourinho helped Sir Bobby Robson translate instructions to his players while at Sporting Lisbon, FC Porto and eventually Barcelona. Mourinho has admitted to learning a lot from Sir Bobby Robson, and then later Louis van Gaal, and that learning has helped shape the coach he is today.
Mourinho’s first job as Head Coach was at Porto. He took over in 2002, and in his two years there, he won 2 Portuguese League titles, the UEFA Cup and the biggest trophy in the world of club football, the UEFA Champions League. Such a feat with a team like Porto was astonishing, and it earned Mourinho the reputation of a miracle-maker. It also earned him a move to the English team Chelsea. The Club had been purchased by Russian Billionaire Roman Abramovich and he was looking to turn it into one of the biggest clubs in Europe. Who better to help with that than Jose Mourinho, one of the best young managers in Europe?
Those in the British Press who expected a routine press conference when Mourinho was unveiled were in for a shock. As soon as the first words left his mouth, it was obvious that this man was something else. In the press conference, Mourinho referred to himself as ‘The Special One’. He went on to say that he wasn't one from the bottom of the pile, on the contrary, he was one from the top, and he would prove it over the season. And prove it he did. Chelsea won their first title in nearly 50 years under the Portuguese manager along with the Carling Cup. More success followed the following year, as the club successfully defended their title. The Champions League eluded Mourinho at Chelsea though, and that led to disagreements with the owner Roman Abramovich, and resulted in Mourinho leaving the club after 3 of the most successful years in the club's history.
Chelsea fans, however, will never forget the contribution of Mourinho, who really was something special. His comments before and after games leave the press asking for more every time. Once he famously claimed that he had asked his assistant manager to book King's Road for a trophy parade in March because he thought the title would be Chelsea's by that time. He made this statement in December, to the shock of the British Press. There are very few managers out there who have this level of self-confidence, which borders on arrogance, but at the same time is completely backed up by performance.
After leaving Chelsea, Mourinho joined Italian Champions Inter Milan. In his two years at the club, he guided them to two Serie A titles, an Italian Cup and the first Champions League trophy for the club in more than 4 decades. Mourinho also became the first manager to lead an Italian club to winning the Domestic League, Cup and the Champions League in the same season.
Just as Mourinho had left Porto right after his Champions League success, he left Inter Milan for Real Madrid. The biggest football club wanted a man big enough to deal with the pressure, and if there is anyone who can do the job, it is Jose Mourinho. It remains to be seen how he copes with the egos in the Madrid dressing room, but the man, who has not lost a home game since 2002, will surely be remembered as the best manager of his generation no matter how his time at Real Madrid turns out.
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