Mourinho is the self-titled 'Special One' and his rise from being a mere translator to becoming one of the best managers in the world was nothing short of meteoric. He never played professionally and had held low-profile positions at Estrela Amadora and Vitoria Setubal before taking his first high-profile role in 1992 when appointed to work under Bobby Robson at Sporting Lisbon. Mourinho initially worked as a translator, but he duly became assistant manager when Robson moved on to FC Porto and, in three years, they clinched two titles.
The Robson-Mourinho combo then moved on to Barcelona in 1996, where they won a pair of Spanish Cups (1997 and 1998) and the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1997, but Mourinho went his own way and, after a nine-game reign at Benfica, he took perennial strugglers Uniao de Leiria to a fourth-place finish and a European adventure.
FC Porto took note of the young manager's talents and snapped him up after a poor start to the 2002-03 season. The side then stormed to the league title, the domestic cup and UEFA Cup final in his first season. Almost inevitably, the 2003-04 season yielded more success with Porto retaining their league title but, of course, the outstanding success was their clinching of the Champions League trophy after a 3-0 victory against Monaco; Mourinho was heralded as a genius.
When Chelsea came calling in May 2004, Mourinho jumped at the chance and guided the club to their first title in 50 years, also picking up the Carling Cup trophy. However, he also had numerous run-ins with the football authorities. The most high-profile case came with the Ashley Cole 'tapping-up' affair, while he accused Swedish referee Anders Frisk of bias in the Champions League - a move that saw the official retire - and his clashes with the press provided much amusement.
Chelsea retained their Premier League title - Mourinho's second in two years in England - and the club set a new English record for unbeaten league matches at home in August 2007. However, Chelsea did not begin the 2007-08 season well and Mourinho left the club 'by mutual consent' in September amid rumours of a bust-up with the boardroom, thought to stem from a breakdown in his relationship with skipper John Terry.
It took until June 2008 for him to get into his new role - taking over from Roberto Mancini at Serie A giants Internazionale - but he immediately showed his talent. He led the side to back-to-back Serie A titles, while in 2009-10 he brought unprecedented success to the club with the Treble of Scudetto, European and domestic cup. However, when Real Madrid came calling at the end of the season, he decided to follow his dream of managing in Spain and moved to the Bernabeu before the 2010 World Cup.
In his first season he won the Copa del Rey tournament for the first time since 1993, but was unable to wrestle the La Liga crown from Barcelona until the following campaign when he did so while also picking up a record 100 points and scoring 121 goals in the process.
His third, and final, campaign in the Spanish capital yielded no silverware as Real finished a distant 15 points behind Barca in La Liga, lost to Borussia Dortmund in the semi-finals of the Champions League and perhaps worst of all, to Atletico Madrid in the Copa del Rey final at the Bernabeu.
Two days after the Spanish season finished Mourinho left Real by mutual consent and completed a return to Chelsea on a four-year contract.
His Strengths: Always willing to produce a soundbite for the thronged media men, he is a dream for the tabloids and has a silver tongue. His tactical knowledge is second to none and he is always first to defend his players. A real man-manager.
His Weaknesses: Hot-headed and passionate, he suffers from red mist occasionally and his antics can detract from the football. Accused of playing defensive, dull football to grind out results.
His Career high: His first Champions League with FC Porto was an incredible achievement for such a young manager, but his Treble with Inter Milan will take some beating.
His Career low: Sacked by Chelsea after failing to impress in the Champions League. Numerous controversies hurt his reputation and the Anders Frisk incident won't be forgotten.
His Tactics: Mourinho likes playing with three men up front, two in the wide positions and then three in central areas. Two defensive midfielders usually provide the spine, and allow one attacker to drift. Flying full backs are also asked to provide the width.
His Quotes: ''Please don't call me arrogant, but I'm European champion and I think I'm a special one"- Mourinho's first press conference at Chelsea.
His Trivia: Mourinho owns a pet dog called Gullit and the Portuguese was once arrested and cautioned after refusing to let police take the dog into quarantine, having let it loose to escape capture.
His expected emotional return to Chelsea for a fresh four year deal reportedly in the region of 40 million pounds is already exciting Chelsea fans across the world and followers of the English Premiership.
Copyright: Fresh Angle International (www.freshangleng.com)
ISSN 2354 - 4104
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