He is one of the most celebrated, one of the most decorated and one of the most acclaimed coaches the world of football has ever known. Yet there probably hasn’t been a manager in modern times who has divided opinions more than Jose Mourinho.
Jose Mourinho: Still The Special One in 2025?
Love him or loathe him; you cannot ignore him. This is the story of The Special One.
Jose Mourinho: Learning the Ropes
Jose Mourinho may have had eyes on stardom from an early age, but he was prepared to earn his stripes the hard way. He had ideas, but he was in no rush to advertise them all, first as Bobby Robson’s translator at Sporting Lisbon, then Porto and finally Barcelona. By the time the pair reached the Nou Camp, Mourinho was far more than just a mouthpiece for Sir Bobby, having also got himself on to the coaching team.
Robson, the gung-ho Englishman, would focus on a Barca frontline spearheaded by aces such as Luis Figo and Ronaldo; Mourinho would rather celebrate, presciently, the back end of the team where greats like Laurent Blanc, Miguel Nadal and Fernando Couto were the big-hitters.
Jose Mourinho: Benfica Early Doors
Mourinho’s first job as a first-team coach came with Benfica in 2000 – and within weeks, all sides of the inimitable Portuguese had been displayed. He shone on the pitch; he argued off it. Within weeks and under pressure to appoint a coach he didn’t want, he had quit and stormed off to pastures new – and untold glory.
In January 2002, Mourinho was handed the reins at Porto. Eighteen months later, he was celebrating an astonishing Liga, Taca de Portugal and UEFA Cup treble. A year later, he lifted the Champions League trophy after winning 3-0 against Monaco. European clubs were now clamouring to sign a coach who it seemed would only bring success.
Jose Mourinho: Arrival of the Special One
“Please don’t call me arrogant, but I think I’m a special one”. So said Mourinho at his first media conference at Chelsea within hours of signing for the London club in June 2004, and with that, a nickname was born. It’s one thing blowing your own trumpet; it’s another to deliver – and Mourinho did during a love affair with Chelsea that will always make him a hero at Stamford Bridge.
In two spells at Chelsea, he won three Premier League titles, making stars of the likes of John Terry, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba. He also won the FA Cup and three EFL Cups and was a key figure in the transformation of the west London club into a major international force.
And to prove he could win titles at any club, in any land, he went on to hold aloft more trophies at Inter Milan – the Champions League and two Serie A titles – at Real Madrid – La Liga – at Manchester United – the Europa League – and at Roma, where he won the Conference League. He’s now at Fenerbahce, but such is his fractious personality and desire to travel; it won’t be his last venture.
Jose Mourinho: History Maker
Mourinho is a hugely colourful character, a supremely talented coach, who has always spoken his mind – and it has often got him in trouble. But his legacy is secure.
As the only manager to have won all three European cup competitions, one of only six managers to have won the Champions League with two different clubs and having won league titles in four different countries, we can agree on one thing. Jose Mourinho truly is a Special One.
By Tom Hill
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