Jose Mourinho is a very successful manager, but after burning bridges at most of the top clubs in Europe, the special manager appears to have exhausted the options
Felix is a senior sports reporter for Mirrors, and although he writes mostly about soccer, he particularly likes cricket and tennis, covering all sports. He previously worked for BBC Sport and City AM.
There was a time back when Jose Mourinho was the answer to the crisis for every club.
Do you experience tough times? A tough, ignorant manager? Do you need star quality? Call Jose and at the price, he will be willing to lend you his exclusive brand and turn things around.
Mourinho was able to dine in his mythical beginnings as a translator under Barcelona’s Bobby Robson, with his legendary Champions League victory with Porto and a sustained golden age victory with Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid. He’s a back-to-back winner. You can get it as close to the guarantee of a trophy. And the extra eyes to the club can’t be hurt.
It was Mourinho’s resume. However, at age 62, his brilliance is off the package with over 20 years of top management experience.
read more: Ebeki Eze sent a warning as Mikel Arteta clarifies his emotions and questioned Arsenal’s roleread more: Five candidates to replace Man Utd’s Ruben Amorim – the biggest concerns for each
With so many fiery press conferences in mind, he abused so many judges, so many club owners and so many players, abandoned so many players, he’s on the road. There are inevitably a large number of bridges that can be burned before arriving.
When he was fired by Fenerbafe at the end of August for not qualifying for the Champions League, it looked like the classic ending of the typical Mourinho cycle. There were clashes over the transfer, umpire controversy, heavy fines and touchline bans, but this time there was no silverware and Fennelverse came in second in the Turkish super rig.
Mourinho was linked to travelling to the Premier League. The idea of ”special things” that has returned to our screens, captivates the audience and offers drama will always be of interest. However, Nottingham Forest resisted the temptation and instead dismissed Nuno Espirito Santo, then went to Angi Postcoglu. And now it appears that Mourinho is back in Portugal.
He reportedly agreed to take over at Benfica after Bruno Lage was fired after he was fired after a 3-2 defeat to Qarabag in the Champions League on Tuesday night. Mourinho has coached Benfica before, but in just nine games 25 years ago, this means that the Lisbon giants have not yet experienced the Mourinho vortex.
Benfica is a big club in the Champions League, so this isn’t a step back for Mourinho, who was in the conference league in Rome. But the first time he returned to his home country since leaving Porto for Chelsea 21 years ago is probably a sign of his recognition that he could not attract any more plum work in Europe either.
After all, despite his weakening power, there are not many paths left, given that he is in charge of Manchester United in England, Chelsea, Tottenham, Spain’s Real Madrid, and Italy’s Inter Milan and Rome. For example, could Paris Saint-Germain or Bayern Munich consider Mourinho the next time they need a new manager?
He’s unlikely to accept it, but his time is gone. His reputation as a counter attack as the ultimate spoiler that can even nullify even the best attacks is gone in the rearview mirror.
Unfortunately for him, it was replaced by the reputation of an overly negative, gross and unattractive manager. His football and persona brand is less important if he still had results, but still decent, his records are no longer elite.
The move to Benfica appears to be a step away from the final goal, if it passes. Mourinho talks about his desire to one day manage the Portuguese national team. The move may be an acknowledgment of him giving up on pursuing a move that has become famous.
Join the new WhatsApp community and receive a daily amount of mirror football content. We also treat community members with special offers, promotions and advertising. If you don’t like our community, you can always check out. If you are interested, you can read the privacy notice.
Sky Sports Discount Premier League and EFL Packages
£49
£35
Sky
Get the deal here
Sky has significantly reduced the prices of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundles ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving its members to £336, and offering over 1,400 live matches in the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League matches next season, showing an even greater increase of up to 100.
