The Special One: Jose Mourinho’s 5 European Trophies

29th Nov 2022

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José Mourinho is a man who continues to divide football fans across the world. His attitude is often brought into question by opposition fans and when he arrived in English football, he claimed "I think I'm a special one" to the English media. Since then, Mourinho has been known as the 'Special One' and he has amassed a fantastic haul of European trophies.

 

UEFA Cup 2002/03

Mourinho's first major managerial appointment was with Porto in his homeland of Portugal. Mourinho wasted no time in his bid to win titles and not only did he win his first Primeira Liga, but he also landed the 2002/03 UEFA Cup. Porto overcame several teams in the earlier rounds, including Lazio in the semi-final and met Celtic in the final. It was a hugely entertaining match, with Porto and Mourinho coming out on top to win 3-2 thanks to a goal in extra-time.

 

Champions League 2003/04

Little did Porto fans know at the time, but more was to come under the guidance of Mourinho in the 2003/04 season. Porto were in the Champions League, but no one thought they had a chance of winning the competition. Mourinho thought differently and Porto came second in a group containing Real Madrid, Marseille, and FK Partizan. Here, Mourinho likely felt like he hit it big on jackpot games with this determined Porto team that he had the honour to lead to secure the ultimate spot. The big moment of the knockout stages came in the round of 16 when Costinha scored a goal in the 89th minute to send Porto through at the expense of Manchester United. Mourinho ran down the touchline to celebrate wildly and Porto went on to beat Lyon, Deportivo La Coruña, and Monaco to lift the trophy.

 

Champions League 2009/10

Despite enjoying his time at Chelsea, Mourinho was forced to wait until he moved to Inter Milan to lift his second Champions League title. Inter Milan finished second to Barcelona in Group F and Mourinho faced former club Chelsea in the round of 16. Inter Milan won the tie 3-1 on aggregate and beat CSKA Moscow in the quarter final. The big moment came in the semi-final win over Barcelona, with Mourinho celebrating his tactical masterclass on the pitch at the Camp Nou and Inter Milan went on to beat Bayern Munich 2-0 in the final.

 

Europa League 2016/17

Some people dared to suggest Mourinho failed during his spell as manager of Manchester United, but the Portuguese begs to differ. In the 2016/17 campaign, Manchester United finished second in their Europa League group behind Fenerbahce. However, Mourinho steered Manchester United into the final, beating Saint-Etienne, Rostov, Anderlecht, and Celta Vigo on the way. The final was against an exciting young Ajax team, but Mourinho shut them down as Manchester United won 2-0.

 

Europa Conference League 2021/22

Mourinho's most recent European trophy came in the 2021/22 season with Roma. The Italians qualified for the Europa Conference League, a new European club competition. Having guided Roma to the top of their group, Mourinho led the team to wins over Vitesse, Bodø/Glimt, and Leicester City, before meeting Feyenoord in the final. Roma scored the only goal of the game to lift the trophy and Mourinho became the first manager to win the Europa Conference League.



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