Former player and current manager of Manchester United in the Premier League, Jose Mourinho is of Portuguese descent. Prior to managing Real Madrid, he was in charge of clubs like Porto, Chelsea, Internazionale, and Real Madrid, each of which he won a number of significant trophies for. Many players, competing coaches, and analysts rate him as one of the best and most successful managers in the world. He is well regarded for his tactical expertise, adaptability, and perfectionist zeal, all of which together give his team management a distinctive character and support his unmatched success. He is known for playing with three or more central midfielders since he believes that dominance in the midfield is essential to winning games. Due to his charismatic and assured management style, he has been at the center of several controversies despite his on-field success, including being branded “The Special One” by the English media, which made reference to a former comment he made. He has also engaged in on-field altercations, the most memorable of which saw him gouge Tito Vilanova, the assistant coach for Barcelona, in the eye.
Early Childhood & Life
Jose Mourinho was born in Setbal, Portugal, on January 26, 1963, to primary school teacher Maria Jlia Carrajola dos Santos and professional footballer José Manuel Mourinho Félix.
His father, better known by his stage name Félix Mourinho, played for Os Belenenses, Vitória de Setbal, and the Portuguese national team in one game. Teresa is his older sister.
He watched his father play and train every weekend, which helped him pick up the nuances of the game. In order to play professional football, he accompanied his father to the Belenenses youth squad, but after discovering his lack of power and speed, he made the decision to become a coach instead.
He left the private business school his mother had sent him to and opted to enroll in the Technical University of Lisbon to study sports science. He spent around five years teaching physical education in schools after receiving his degree.
Career of José Mourinho
Early in the 1990s, Jose Mourinho returned to his hometown and took a position coaching the youth team at Vitória de Setbal. He then briefly served as the assistant manager at Estrela da Amadora and the scout at Ovarense. He had the chance to serve as an interpreter for renowned international coach Bobby Robson at Sporting Club Portugal in 1992.
They established an excellent working rapport, and in December 1993, he followed Robson to FC Porto and took on the role of his assistant. The team won the 1993–94 Taça de Portugal, the 1994–95 and 1995–96 Portuguese championships, and the 1994, 1995, and 1996 Portuguese Super Cup. They also advanced to the semi-finals of the 1993–94 UEFA Champions League.
He traveled with Robson once more to Barcelona in 1996, where he assumed extra duties including organizing practices and giving players tactical guidance. They helped Barcelona win the European Cup Winners’ Cup to cap off yet another great campaign.
The following season, Robson left for a new club once more, but Mourinho remained with the team and, working as Louis van Gaal’s assistant, helped Barcelona win La Liga twice. Later, Van Gaal appointed him as the head coach of Barcelona B and permitted him to lead the main team in the 2000 Copa Catalunya, which he won.
In September 2000, he was appointed manager of Benfica. Within a week, Robson offered him the assistant management position at Newcastle United, but he turned it down. He briefly played for Benfica before leaving in 2001 to join Uniao de Leira, where he assisted the squad in climbing the league standings.
He took over the underwhelming Porto club on January 23, 2002, and by the end of the season, he led it to 11 victory in 15 games. With a league-record 86 points in 2003, he not only won the Taça de Portugal and the UEFA Cup, but also his first Primeira Liga title.
The following year, Porto won the UEFA Champions League, the Primeira Liga, and the one-game Portuguese Super Cup. The highlight of the season was defeating Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United, which gave him the chance to join Chelsea on June 2, 2004.
He imported the majority of his support staff from Porto and paid astronomical transfer prices to sign talented players. Although he failed to lead Chelsea to the European Champions League during his time there as the highest paid manager, the team did manage to win two Premier League Cups, two Football League Cups, and an FA Cup.
He abruptly departed Chelsea on September 20, 2007, as the most successful manager in the club’s history, due to differences with owner Roman Abramovich. He signed a three-year contract to join Internazionale, also known as Inter Milan, on June 2, 2008.
He won the Supercoppa Italiana and finished first in Serie A during his first season at Inter Milan. He assisted the team in winning the Serie A, Coppa Italia, and UEFA Champions League treble the following year.
On May 28, 2010, he transferred from Inter Milan to Real Madrid with a record-breaking compensation sum. Despite a lackluster debut campaign, he guided the group to the La Liga championship the following year.
In June 2013, he returned to Chelsea, and he finished the 2013–14 Premier League season in third place, four points behind champion Manchester City. He won the Premier League and the Football League Cup for the team for the third time the following season.
On August 7, 2015, he signed a four-year contract, although he left Chelsea later that year after the club lost 9 of its 16 games. On May 27, 2016, he agreed to a three-year contract with Manchester United, and on June 1, 2016, he won the EFL Cup and the Europa League, making him the first United manager to win a major trophy in his first season in charge.
Bigger Works of José Mourinho
Among Jose Mourinho’s many championship victories, the UEFA Champions League triumphs for Porto and Internazionale, Chelsea’s three Premier League crowns, three Football League Cup victories, and Real Madrid’s La Liga triumph stand out. In addition, he has won league championships in Portugal, England, Italy, and Spain.
Recognition & Achievements
The Portuguese Football Federation honored Jose Mourinho with the title of “Portuguese Coach of the Century” in 2015. He was named one of the ten greatest managers by UEFA in 2017—the organization’s first year of existence.
Personal Legacy & Life
Jose Mourinho wed Matilde “Tami” Faria, whom he had first met in Setbal, Portugal, when they were both just teenagers, in 1989. Matilde, a daughter, was born to the couple in 1996, and José Mário, Jr., a son, in 2000. His son participates in youth football with Fulham.
He participates in a number of charitable endeavors and, as of 2014, has served as a Global Ambassador for the United Nations World Food Programme. He gave his “lucky” jacket to Tsunami Relief as part of a youth initiative to use football to foster friendship between Israeli and Palestinian kids.
Jose Mourinho’s Net Worth
Trivia
Jose Mourinho was detained in May 2007 for obstructing animal protection workers from quarantining his dog. He received a warning for impeding police, but the problem was settled when the puppy was returned to his wife in Portugal.