José Mourinho - The "Special One"

"Mourinho is the best coach in the world, but as a man he still needs to learn manners and respect" - Mario Balotelli

If you know football, then you definitely know José Mourinho. His name is a household name and ( I dare say) that there is no one who has not heard of the self-proclaimed 'Special One'.

"I'm not a defender of old or new football managers. I believe in good ones and bad ones, those that achieve success and those that don't. Please don't call me arrogant, but I'm European champion and I think I'm a special one."- José Mourinho

It is safe to say that José Mourinho is accustomed to being the brunt of many a joke. Some say that he causes the jokes themselves because of the many outrageous, scandalous comments he makes. I thought it apt to quote Balotelli because of this. Their quotes are always very entertaining and in this regard, they are two peas in a pod.

“When you have a father, ex-top player, and your dream is to be like him but you feel you couldn’t do it, your motivation comes from that point. I want to be really big in football. I feel I have some conditions to be a coach and manager. I start doing. I start loving it. I go to university and study sports science. This is a real passion and methodology.” Mourinho on his father.

Born in Portugal on the 26th of January, 1963, José Mourinho was christened as José Mário dos Santos Mourinho Félix. Perhaps because this was a mouthful, he later became known as José Mourinho, the self- titled 'Special One' or simply 'Mo'.

He had always been involved in football because his father was involved in football. At a young age he played with the team his father coached and then decided that coaching and management of football were really what he was interested in.

No doubt Mourinho was influenced by his father, Felix. Although he had been sent to business school by his mother, he dropped out after the first day ( sounds like something I would do ) and decided to go to another school where he could learn sport science.For a few years he taught Physical Education in school. I am certain that those who had him as P.E. teacher, loudly boast about it to everyone they meet to this day. I know I would even though I absolutely detested P.E. in school.

After teaching Phys Ed., he went on to do some courses on coaching football. Mourinho was different because he was able to take what he was taught and mix it with some of his own ideas. The result was a unique way of coaching that was entirely Mourinho's. There is no one who coaches like him and many say that he is the greatest football coach of all time.

The title 'Manager' never fit someone better and Mourinho has managed to lead some big teams to success. He has coached Benfica, Os Lis, Chelsea, Porto, Inter Milan, and Real Madrid. Mourinho states that he likes to go from club to club and one gets the impression that he perhaps considers his work as a bit of charity as he gives of himself to each club so that success may be achieved and everyone will feel happy for some time. Maybe, just maybe, José Mourinho thinks of himself as the Santa Claus of football. Except he does not wear a red suit, is not chubby and his gifts are goals and trophies.

"Not everyone liked Jesus Christ, and even fewer people like me,"Jose Mourinho on his popularity.

One does not usually get away with using the word 'man' and 'emotional' in the same sentence but when it comes to Mourinho, emotional is a great word that describes him.

A vocal person in general, José Mourinho is known to get extremely happy, and extremely angry. He has been known to deliver stinging insults, arrogant scoffs and when those don't work, he pokes people in their eyes. This is all part and parcel of Mourinho the coach. He insists that he is a different man outside of football but because of his popularity and success and because of his drive, his role as manager is all that people see. Like a transformer, though, there is more that meets the eye when it comes to Mo.

His quotes concerning the game and its players are, perhaps, annoying to some. They are often quite outrageous and flamboyant. People truly get angry when he lets his comments fly. He often says what he has to say in a nonchalant calm way which is a great tactic for the inflammation of tempers.

There is no denying that Mourinho makes sure that he knows exactly what his players are doing. He makes sure that he knows everything he needs to about them and demands that they cooperate so that the team can be successful. For Mourinho, the only road to success is through a team effort.

"When I face the media, maybe I don't feel it now, here with you, because it's a different sort of interview, but when I face the media before or after the game, I feel it as part of the game." - Jose Mourinho

It is no secret that Mourinho gives great quotes when interviewed. Either his quotes will be completely misunderstood, utterly pompous to some, or outrageously insane to others. Mourinho has said that facing the press is a part of the game of football to him and rightly so, for if one is a football manager, one has to deal with the press often to speak about football. Therefore, for Mourinho, a football match does not last for just ninety minutes plus stoppage time on the pitch. Interviews that occur before and during the match and even interviews that take place when there is no match on that particular day are all part of the game to him.

Perhaps this is why he answers questions the way he does and maybe this is the reason that he makes statements that leave people scratching their heads in bewilderment. His comments are part of a strategy. Just as he uses his players on the field he uses his words to manipulate the outcome of the match through intimidation, infuriation, and reckless challenges and promises that scramble the opponents' mind and distracts them so that they are thinking about his audacity instead of their strategy.

On a whole, José Mourinho is vastly entertaining. His actions on the sidelines ( sometimes on the pitch as well) and his stinging rhetoric makes people want to watch something that features him. His coaching style is different and yet it works and that makes people sit up and pay attention. There is no club in the world that will not admit that José Mourinho can turn teams around and he knows this.

Whether people love him or hate him, they still want to know the latest thing he has said or done. After finding out, some scoff, some laugh and some smile indulgently. At the end of the day he does his job - he is one of the best managers. He is one of the rare managers who s able to not only manage the team but the fans as well. Although he claimed that the fans and the audience is the only thing that cannot be controlled in football, he still has gotten quite a few rises out of them and no doubt, that makes him satisfied.

• His wife's name is Mathilde Faria
• He has two children - a daughter named Mathilde and a son named Jose Mario Junior
• He has said that his family is the most important thing in his life
• He is a devout Roman Catholic
• Is very up to date with the latest fashion. One might call him a 'Metro'
• Has a close relationship with his dogs
• Speaks six languages: Portuguese,Spanish, Catalan, Italian, French and English.
• His favorite actor is Anthony Hopkins
• His favorite musician is Bryan Adams
• He is 5ft 9 inches
• Favorite food - foie gras which is goose liver soaked in Cognac with truffles
• He is currently the highest paid manager

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