The footballing world has seen some of sport’s greatest managers and leaders and through the modern era but one name arises time and time again among the greats, José Mourinho.
José Mourinho has become a household name for fans of the game and when he became manager of Manchester United, fans of the club rejoiced knowing that he was the one that could return the club to dominance.
Born in Setubal, Portugal soccer has been in Mourinho’s blood since a very young age beginning with his playing days in the Portuguese Second Division. Not commonly known for his time as a player, Mourinho spent just seven years as a senior player at the professional level from 1980-87 across various clubs in Portugal.
Trying his hand as a manager he launched his career as a gaffer with Porto in 2002. Winning the Primeira Liga, Taca de Portugal and UEFA Cup in 2003, Mourinho quickly escalated into the managerial spotlight and stood at the forefront of the stage when he led Porto to the top of the league two years running, (2002, 2003) before winning Europe’s highest honor, The UEFA Champions League for the first time.
Seeing his success at Porto, London came calling and Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich begged for his services in 2004. This would be the first of two stints spent with the Blues in London. In the first season under Mourinho’s watch Chelsea won the Premier League for the first time in 50 years setting records such as fewest goals conceded (15) and most ever points ever earned in a Premier League season (95).
An abrupt end to Mourinho’s tenure at Chelsea in September of 2007 brought a new opportunity nearly a year later at Italian giants Internazionale. In his first season at the helm in Italy, Mourinho finished top of Serie A and won the Supercoppa Italiana. 2010 brought more success in Europe as he led the Italian side to a Champions League trophy after beating German rivals Bayern Munich in the final 2-0. This was his second champions league victory as a manager.
Spanish giants Real Madrid came calling for his services after leading Inter to a Champions League title as he signed with Madrid in 2010. During has time at Madrid he coached the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos, Angel di Maria and Xabi Alonso, some of the world’s top players. After nearly four years at the club and winning several trophies Mourinho and Madrid parted ways by ‘mutual agreement’ after the 2013 season. His next challenge would a return trip to Chelsea where he won the Premier League again in 2015.
After the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson as manager of Manchester United the club and its fans struggled to find a suitor to lead the club back to dominance. Mourinho found his way to his rival club in May of 2016 and during his first year in charge of the Reds he directed the club to a Europa League title, a 2-0 win over AFC Ajax to maintain his perfect record in major European Cup finals.
It is clear that Mourinho is dedicated to his work and hasn’t gone a single calendar year of his career without winning at least one major trophy. Here are the major trophies he has earned with each team he has managed:
Porto:
Primeira Liga (2003, 2004);
Portuguese Cup (2003);
UEFA Cup (2003);
Champions League (2004);
Portuguese Super Cup (2003)
Chelsea:
Premier League (2005, 2006, 2015);
FA Cup (2007);
League Cup (2005, 2007,2015);
Community Shield (2005)
Inter:
Serie A (2009, 2010);
Italian Cup (2010);
Champions League (2010);
Italian Super Cup (2008)
Real Madrid:
Primera Division (2012);
Copa del Rey (2011);
Spanish Super Cup (2012)
Manchester United:
Community Shield (2016)
Europa League (2017)
Mourinho is also widely regarded by players, coaches and media both past and present as one of the greatest managers to ever coach in the game. He is highly renowned for his game management and ability to adapt and pick his teams to various scenarios. Mourinho boats an incredible 542-172-115 record as a manager to pair with his astounding personal award wins. Here are a few of his personal trophies:
FIFA World Coach of the Year: (2010)
IFFHS World’s Best Club Coach: (2004, 2005, 2010, 2012)
Premier League Manager of the Year: (2005, 2006, 2016)
Serie A Manager of the Year: (2009, 2010)
UEFA Manager of the Year: (2003, 2004)
Portuguese Manager of the Century: (2015)
The 10 Greatest Coaches in the UEFA era
José Mourinho has undoubtedly become one of the most recognized faces in the world’s game. His spirited celebrations and his occasional controversy provide the sport and its fans with some of the greatest scenes to date. When Mourinho takes to the bench at Rio Tinto Stadium on July 17 to guide one of the greatest clubs in football, he will be without a doubt the most decorated and animated managers to step foot in Rio Tinto Stadium.
