Sports Nicknames - The Special One

"Please don't call me arrogant, but I'm European champion and I think I'm a special one". These are the words of Jose Mourinho upon arriving at Chelsea in 2004, and would go on to embody the Portuguese manager's career. Nicknamed "The Special One" by British media after that, Mourinho would go on to be one of the most successful managers of all time.



He started his managerial career in Portugal with SL Benfica before moving to their rivals Porto in 2002 (with a club in between). He led Porto to dominate the league and win the Champions League in 2003, which earned him a move to newly wealthy Chelsea FC in England.

Mourinho built a dominant Chelsea side that walked over the Premier League, conceding a record 15 goals over the course of the season (a record that still stands). Chelsea then won the next season, however the third season did not go well and Mourinho left in the 4th.

This led Mourinho to Italy, where he would find success with Inter Milan. There, he would win the league in both his years, while the second year also brought the Champions League and Coppa Italia titles. He left Italy in 2010 to go to Real Madrid.

His trophies stopped flowing at Madrid, winning only one league title and a Copa del Rey. He then returned to Chelsea, winning the Premier League and League Cup. Once done there, he went to Manchester United, winning the Europa League.

At the time of writing, Mourinho is currently with Tottenham Hotspur, trying to bring them the success he has found at other clubs. After his initial style of arrogant press conferences, wild celebrations and cheeky displays to the media, he has calmed down in recent years. However, he is still one of the most famous managers in the game and one of the best of all time looking at his trophy haul.

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Also see: Jose Mourinho - The Special One

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