The 53-year-old has managed some of Europe’s most illustrious clubs, but one memory stands out for the Manchester United manager.
Jose Mourinho at Chelsea
Jose Mourinho has been in first team football management for 16 years, a journey that has seen him most notably manage Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Chelsea and Manchester United.
The world class Portuguese boss has won trophies with all six of those clubs, even Manchester United, with whom he won the Community Shield in his first competitive match in charge.
A serial winner, Mourinho has won 23 trophies to date, most notably league titles in Portugal, England, Italy and Spain, and two Champions League triumphs with Porto and Inter Milan.
Mourinho has won the Champions League twice
It is that second Champions League success which Mourinho described to the Daily Mail as his best memory in the competition.
When the questioned was put to him, Mourinho took a moment for consideration, before replying “The victory with Inter, that final.”
“With Porto it was a team of young people, a team of people with many years in front of them,” the now Manchester United boss added.
Mourinho pulled off a magnificent treble as Inter Milan manager
The former Chelsea manager went on to add that at Porto he had a highly talented young squad, who could have won the competition another season.
“If I didn’t win that year then we probably would not have left. After that victory I was leaving — everybody was leaving — but if we did not win that Champions League we would have stayed at Porto a couple more years.”
Chelsea fans will be glad Mourinho didn’t stay at Porto, as he went on to join the Blues where he won 6 trophies in 3 years as the self-proclaimed ‘Special One’.
Mourinho as Chelsea manager in 2005
Comparing his success at Inter to the one at Porto, the Manchester United manager said “Inter was an old team, a team of people who wanted to do it for their whole career. There had been frustration after frustration.”
“That final was the last chance for Materazzi, Toldo, Zanetti, Cordoba, Cambiasso. It was an old team. It was now or never. That really was a crazy journey.”
“And the President, he was President for years and years and never, never, never. Also for the fans, because Inter had not been European champion for over 50 years.”
Esteban Cambiasso was one of a number of ageing players in Mourinho’s Inter Milan team
It could have been very different for Mourinho and Inter in 2010, as the Italian giants came so close to a group stage exit in the Champions League.
Needing a win in their final group game against Dynamo Kiev, Inter trailed with just four minutes remaining on the clock.
Goals from Diego Milito and Wesley Sneijder in the 86th and 89th minutes gave Inter the win though, and they went on to beat Bayern Munich in the final to become European champions for the first time since 1965.
Jose Mourinho is now the Manchester United manager
Mourinho won’t have the chance to make it three European titles this season, with Manchester United having to settle for a place in the Europa League.
Leicester City, Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester City will represent England instead, whilst Mourinho and the red half of Manchester kickstart their Europa League campaign against Feyenoord on Thursday night.
Manchester United face Feyenoord in the Europa League
Mourinho’s former club Chelsea will also be without Champions League football this season, the Blues even missing out on UEFA’s secondary club competition the Europa League.
Arsenal and Manchester City are the two English teams in action in the Champions League tonight, with the Gunners travelling to PSG whilst Man City play host to Borussia Monchengladbach.
Elsewhere in the competition, Celtic face Barcelona and PSV entertain last seasons runners-up Atletico Madrid.
Who will win the Champions League this season?
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