Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho recently marked 26 years as a football coach. After so many titles across different clubs and leagues, we take a brief look back at his beginnings back in 2000 at Benfica.
This past Wednesday, Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho celebrated 26 years as a football coach. It was on Sept. 23, 2000, when he managed his first professional match. At that time, as Benfica coach, he visited Boavista at the Estadio do Bessa, a match he lost, and it was not until his fourth match in charge that he saw victory at the hands of Carlos Marchena. In what would be the beginning of the career of one of the best coaches in the world.
A career with a record that includes — so far — 2 Champions Leagues, 3 Premier Leagues, 2 Serie A, 1 LaLiga, among many others, giving a total of 26 titles. His personality has made it easy for fans to grow fond of him, as well as for his opponents to hold quite a grudge against him. However, we have to go back to that first match to see how his story began.
Dressed in a gray suit and blue tie, he walked the entire field of the Estadio do Bessa to sit for the first time on a bench as the man in charge of a professional team. At 37 years old, he had fulfilled one of his greatest dreams and, just three days earlier, he had been chosen by Benfica to replace Jupp Heynckes. A decision that surprised all the club's fans.
From the start, he caught the attention of his players, who dedicated kind words to the Portuguese. For example, the Spaniard, Carlos Marchena, said: "From the first moment, I saw that Mourinho had talent, charisma, leadership ability, and that he knew how to understand the game very well. You could see that, sooner or later, he was going to be a great coach."
Another of his former players was Maniche, who at that time was barely carving out a place at Benfica, mentioned: "He gave a lot of confidence to the players who participated less. He always wanted them ready in case it was necessary for them to come in.
There was a lot of complicity with the footballers, but I also remember playing good matches and him telling me it was not enough. He always wanted more. That I had never seen in football. We would arrive at the field, and we practically already knew everything about the opponent. We were even capable of anticipating things that later happened during the match."
Without a doubt, we are in the presence of one of the greatest coaches in football; you may or may not like the Portuguese's attitude, but it is impossible to deny what he has achieved throughout his career, at different teams and leagues. He has always found a way to triumph.
