Beyond the renown controversial figure of today, there’s a man who rose from the unknown
to become one of the most influential and revolutionary figures in the game we all know
and love.
A man influenced by his origins and by those who he came across in his path to glory.
Mourinho is the son of one-time Portuguese international goalkeeper José Mourinho Félix,
who won the Portuguese Cup once as a player, and went on to manage several mid-table Portuguese
league sides.
He followed his dad’s career closely and was often charged with with giving tactical
indications through the players amidst his ball-boy role.
Growing up within this Football environment made taking the step into playing field natural
and, after finishing his youth career with Belenenses, he played his first senior seasons
with Rio Ave and Belenenses – both under his father’s management.
Old team-mate Mário Reis said he “used to move really well, behind the striker”
and that they “scored a ton of goals together, although most of them for the reserve team
against U19’s”.
A lot of reports point in the direction of him being technically capable but missing
the physicality coaches demanded in the early 80’s.
[Including the one below from a 1984 edition of Record Newspaper, where a journalist called
his intervention “sublime” on winning a penalty that got his team the win.]
Mourinho studied Sports Science in University and took coaching courses while playing.
Seemingly the more he studied the lower he fell down the ranks as a player – from a
top division back-up to the second tier and then a local club where he eventually quit
at 24 to focus on his managerial career.
Becoming Bobby Robson’s translator was his first big job, but his natural tactical perception
combined with the experience he had amassed up to this point – from coaching youth levels
at Vitória Setúbal to being an assistant manager with top tier Estrela da Amadora – it
was only natural that he showed himself beyond the realm of press-conferences.
His importance within the technical staff grew, getting more involved in practices and
becoming just as much of an assistant coach as he was a communicator between manager and
players.
Mourinho ended up working alongside the Englishman at Sporting, FC Porto and Barcelona - with
the Portuguese being quite open about Robson's influence on him, particularly on how to mentally
balance the highs and lows of managing a top side.
The way Mourinho deals with defeat today is hugely different to the way he did when he
was an apprentice because of this experience.
The next one to work alongside the young Special One was Louis Van Gaal, as the Dutchman replaced
Robson at the helm of Barcelona and Mourinho remained in Spain.
Perhaps more similar to each other from a tactical standpoint, Van Gaal acknowledged
Mourinho’s understanding of the game from the start and did his best to take him to
the next level.
The Dutchman enjoyed Mourinho’s reports on the opponents and even went as far to let
him take over the manager’s role in a minor competition such as the Copa Catalunya.
That helped incite extra confidence into a José Mourinho character that was at the time
described as modest by Louis, and who needed to borrow some of the Dutchman’s confidence
if he wanted a future leadership position of his own.
He clearly did.
Mourinho has characterized Van Gaal as someone who works “like an animal” and who has
“a lot of pleasure in what he does”, quotes that could well describe Mourinho too – a
workaholic himself whose mind has no time off from Football.
Yet another reason why the pair perhaps got along so well.
His experiences across four seasons in Barcelona would finally lead him to a managerial path
of his own, signing for Benfica.
Ex-goalkeeper and at the time sports director Michel Preud'homme says it took only one night
to get the young manager on board.
But his stint was also cut short: he left the club 11 games later after the president
who hired him lost the election to remain in the position and the new one didn’t desire
to retain him.
José had to wait until the following campaign, 2001/02, to take a step back and prove himself
at a smaller club.
União de Leiria gave him the opportunity, much like they gave to his father 23 years
before.
“They told me to use young players and avoid relegation” – by January they not only
had already enough points to be safe from relegation but were also in a surprising fourth
place.
In that same month he was off to FC Porto and, from then on, we already know the story.