"Please don't call me arrogant, but I'm European champion and I think I'm a special one."
The memory of a 40 year old Portugese running towards the sidelines of Old Trafford to celebrate with his team in the process knocking out the Red Devils in the Champions League still haunt Manchester United fans and specially Sir Alex Fergusson. But it was just the starting of things to come for this self proclaimed "The Special One" José Mourinho. He took his side FC Porto to lift the most coveted trophy in club competitions - the UEFA Champions League. That June he moved to Chelsea and in his 3 years at the club has won 2 Premier League titles, 2 League Cups and are fighting for the 3 more competitions this year - the FA Cup, which by the way is the only domestic trophy which has eluded him , the Champions League and the Premier League which they trail by 6 points to Fergie's Manchester United.So this rampaging success has raised the big question "Is he the special one?"
After backroom jobs at small clubs in the early 1990's, he worked as a translator under Sir Bobby Robson at both Sporting Lisbon and then Benfica. He then followed Robson to FC Barcelona. When Robson left for PSV, Mourinho stayed at Barcelona and worked with Robson's replacement, Dutch coach Louis van Gaal. Mourinho's undoubted confidence and personality helped him get beyond his original role, as he began to participate actively in coaching sessions and management meetings. Eventually, Mourinho coached FC Barcelona B.
But his real success started off when he took the unfashionable mid-table outfit União de Leiria to 4th position in the league.In January of 2002 he was chosen as FC Porto manager to replace Octávio Machado and that season took them to the 3rd position and enabled them a UEFA Cup spot which seemed a distant reality when he joined the club.He promised he would win the league next year and that was exactly what he did.He won the treble by winning the Portugese Cup and defeating Celtic lifted the UEFA CUP.He had made a team of not so huge stars into big European names the following season when he did the double by winning the League and the big one the Champions League.Players like Deco,Ricardo Carvalho,Maniche,Costinha who were not the big money players became household names because of this crafty manager of theirs.That June he left the club since he had won it all in Portugal and with FC Porto winning the Champions League it was the icing on a cake.So he had to look out for a new challenge and thus came Chelsea FC under the Roman Abrahomvic era.
The 2 horse race between Arsenal and Manchester United had recieved a jolt in the 2003-04 season when Chelsea under Claudio Ranieri secured 2nd position in the league but worse was yet to come for these 2 teams and the rest of the chasing pack as Chelsea ran away with the title in the 2004-05 season with a single loss, they won the League Cup and lost out to Liverpool in the Champions League in controversial circumstances. Mourniho was an instant hit in the media and ignited some great rivalries with Ferguson,Wenger and Benitez. The dominance of Arsenal and Manchester United had been broken by this self believing, at times arrogant and one of the most successful and controversial Portugese.They romped away with the League once again in 2004-05 and Mourniho had wanded his magic in Chelsea's centenary year.His urge to win the big one the Champions League with Chelsea has been proved with the 2 big summer signings of Michael Ballack and Andriy Shevchenko.
Seeing this glorius success in his managerial career one has to agree with what he says - he indeed is the special one when it comes to managing a club, grinding out results and winning trophies.
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