It was more than 20 years ago that the world was introduced to “the special one”, an intense, oddball football manager whose charisma managed to easily overshadow even the star players on his teams.
When that stint ended, Mourinho seemed truly lost. This was the manager doing what he does best. In his second stint at the vaunted Spanish club, in his 13th match, marking his re-entry into the big leagues, the grizzled Portuguese shook things up. He placed a teenager (Yan Diomande) at centrestage, brought back a player (Eduardo Camavinga) who had been out of favour since last season, and bravely toyed with Barcelona’s usual ball-domination tactics. He led that team to a league win after a gap of four years, earning himself the nickname Galactico, a tag usually reserved for players. Then there was the stormy, bitter exit from the club, a return to Chelsea, and a triumphant league victory, followed quickly by another exit. He struggled dramatically in a short stint with the Turkish Super Lig club Fenerbahce, then returned home with Benfica, but was luckless there.
There were the heady days of 2010 when he won the treble with Inter Milan. The dazzling brilliance of Real Madrid’s 2011-12 season.
