Mourinho, the flavour of soccer

He started out as a PE teacher and has become one of the most famous football managers. Rafsanjan Abbey Tatya writes about the man who is more famous than football players.

In football today, there is Jose Mourinho and then there is everybody else. The pouting Portuguese has lit up the world of football with his attitude and coaching skills, and has become one of the few managers whose fame has transcended the game.

This year alone, Mourinho – coaching Inter Milan - proved to be football’s hottest property by rising above the richest clubs (talk of Chelsea and Barcelona); outshining hugely successful clubs (talk of Bayern Munich) and outdoing the best players around (think Lionel Messi) to win the UEFA Champions League.

Even on a night where Messi could score 10 goals, Mourinho would somehow beat him to the cover pages – he is simply the best thing to have happened to football in recent times. He knows it, which is why in a press conference upon joining Chelsea in 2004, Mourinho said, “Please don’t call me arrogant, but I’m European champion and I think I’m a special one,” which resulted in the media dubbing him “The Special One.” His egocentricity is elephantine and his tendency to say exactly what he thought won him more enemies than friends in the beginning but today, very many people love him for not only his managerial skills but what he says too.

Selling a name
He has inspired the making of several documentaries, films and books – without his endorsement, though. The sales of Portuguese wine Barca Velha rocketed after Mourinho sent a case to his Manchester United counterpart Sir Alex Ferguson following a touchline spat. He had frictions with almost all clubs in the Premier League and he was sometimes forced into apologising and paid huge sums in fines. He ranted at referees too. But he created a strong bond amongst his players and some Chelsea fans took him as their football god.

After winning the 2005–06 title by beating Manchester United 3–0, Mourinho threw his championship medal and blazer into the crowd. He was awarded a second medal within minutes which he also threw into the crowd. He only cared about the fans.

His moods are very unpredictable and you can never know what is going to annoy or impress him. The first time Chelsea played Barcelona at the Nou Camp, a Spanish reporter delighted in reminding Mourinho of his humble past as a translator at the club. “Yes, and now I’m one of the best managers in the world,” Mourinho replied. “But you’re still doing the same job you’ve always done.”

When he left the Premier League, people in the UK talked of how the league would miss the most outspoken and controversial figure in football whilst the world buzzed about his possible next destination.

After a few months, it was Italy’s turn to have a taste of the Special One as he re-emerged at Inter. He caused immediate ripples in Italian football through his controversial relationships with the Italian press and feuds with major Serie A coaches such as Carlo Ancelotti (formerly of AC Milan, now at Chelsea), Luciano Spalletti (formerly of Roma) and former Juventus coach Claudio Ranieri. At a press conference in March 2009, he insulted the first two rivals by claiming they would end the season with no titles—and accused the Italian sport journalists of “intellectual prostitution” on their behalf.

Mourinho was then sent off in the December 2009 fixture against Juventus after he sarcastically applauded the referee for what he felt was a dubious free-kick given to the opposition. He continued to clash with players, coaches and several different stakeholders. However, his tenure in Italy could be coming to an end after he announced he could join Spanish giants Real Madrid next season. The spotlight will follow him.

Well, all said, Mourinho was born in Setubal, Portugal on January 26, 1963 and he grew up desperate to become a footballer. He did not have the talent to succeed, and it doesn’t take a psychoanalyst to realise that the disappointment of failing as a player propelled his fierce managerial ambition. His mother enrolled him on a business course, in which he lasted only a single day, before switching to physical education. He became a PE teacher before becoming a youth coach at Portuguese club Vitoria Setubal.

From translator to manager
Then in 1992, the former England boss Bobby Robson was appointed manager at Sporting Lisbon, and asked for a local coach who spoke decent English to help him with coaching. Mourinho got the job, and when Robson moved on to Barcelona, he went with him. Who, folk in Barcelona wanted to know, was this handsome young Portuguese fella always following the venerable Englishman around and hanging on his every word? Inevitably, a rumour circulated that they were gay lovers. But it wasn’t pillow talk that Mourinho shared with Robson, it was detailed consideration of how to get the best out of the players.

When Robson left Barcelona, his protégé stayed on, and continued to learn the finer points of coaching from Robson’s successor, the urbane Louis van Gaal. Eventually, Mourinho was ready to manage on his own – and just last week, Mourinho’s Inter defeated Gaal’s Bayern.He is so passionate about soccer but says his family is the most important thing in his life.He is married to his childhood sweetheart, is a doting dad and is seemingly squeaky clean.