Jose Felix Mourinho, A Rare Gem.

In a field like football where so much has been tried and tested, Mourinho’s remarkable success would not be possible without an exclusive advantage. Quite rightly, the supremacy of his attention to emotional, mental and interpersonal issues is roughly proportional with the success he enjoys over his peers. It is what makes him genuinely special. Attributing his results fully to man management would be wrong, though it is clear, even from what Mourinho says, that it is the most important one.

Whether he will become a revolutionary figure inspiring a more all-encompassing approach to football management is less certain, though younger managers could do worse than embracing the advice Mourinho’s teacher gave him: “Every coach knows about football. The difference is made in other areas."

Here are 10 beautiful reasons why he's a rare gem;

1. A Winner

"Mourinho is the world's best coach." - Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid and ex-Manchester United.

José Mário dos Santos Mourinho Félix, or José Mourinho to you and me, is considered by many to be the best manager in Europe or even the best manager in the history of football. His track record in football management is hugely impressive. Since his managerial career began in 2002, Mourinho has won 2 Champions League titles; 1 UEFA Cup; 8 league titles and 11 other trophies in Portugal, England, Italy and Spain plus numerous domestic and international manager of the year awards. 

During a 15-year career Mourinho has a win ratio of 67.07%. This compares well with the 72.34% win ratio of Pep Guardiola during his amazingly successful spell as Barcelona manager and a Bayern Munich manager at the moment. However, Mourinho's record is even more impressive when compared to the 58.2% win ratio of Sir Alex Ferguson, Manchester United manager, during his 29-year career. 

One of Mourinho's great strengths is that he knows how to win big games. For example, since 2004, as manager of Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid, his teams have faced Manchester United on 16 occasions in various competitions and he has a 44% win rate compared to Sir Alex's 19%. 

Ferguson once said that Mourinho has the credentials to replace him as Manchester United manager. Of Mourinho's record Sir Alex has said "That's incredible [his trophy haul]. How old is he now? Fiftieth year. So he is 20 years behind me. At the same rate he is going to add another 42 trophies.... amazing isn't it?" 

In 2010 before Mourinho's Inter Milan side played Barcelona in a Champions League semi-final, Pep Guardiola, then Barcelona manager, expressed his admiration by saying "In terms of the world's best managers, when you compare José to Sir Alex, Arsene [Wenger] and Fabio [Capello] he is still very young. But even at his age there is a very strong case for him being the best manager in the world. That's the truth. To be honest, he probably is the best." Mourinho's Inter side caused an upset by beating Barcelona and going on to win the Champions League, and became only the sixth team in history to win a 'treble' as champions of Europe and winners of the domestic league and cup competitions. 

Between 23 February 2002 and 2 April 2011, Mourinho went 150 home league matches unbeaten: 38 (W36–D2) with Porto, 60 (W46–D14) with Chelsea, 38 (W29–D9) with Internazionale and 14 (W14–D0) with Real Madrid. The run was broken by Sporting de Gijón on 2 April 2011, when they defeated Real Madrid 1–0 at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in La Liga. After the match, Mourinho entered Gijón's dressing room and congratulated them. His only prior home league defeat had come when Porto lost 3–2 to Beira-Mar on 23 February 2002.

Mourinho underwent a 45 home league matches unbeaten streak: 31 (W27–D4) with Real Madrid and 14 (W13–D1) with Chelsea. This streak was ended on 19 April 2014, when Chelsea succumbed to a 2–1 loss to Sunderland. This defeat also ended Mourinho's two spell 77-game unbeaten Premier league unbeaten sequence at Stamford Bridge, he hasn't lost any other Premier League game at Stamford Bridge since then.

2. Life-long Student of Football

"Here was a man coming out of a completely different education. He changed the way people trained. Changed the way people spoke about the game." - Andre Villas-Boas, Manager, FC Zenit Saint Petersburg.

In his mid-20s, his mother enrolled him in a business school, Mourinho dropped out on his first day, deciding he would rather focus on sport, and chose to attend the Instituto Superior de Educação Física (ISEF), Technical University of Lisbon, to study sports science.  He then attended coaching courses in England and Scotland before gaining his UEFA coaching badges. 

One of Mourinho's great qualities is his desire to learn and understand football. He comes from a footballing background - his father was a football coach.

His plan was to incorporate knowledge of sports science, physical education and psychology into his coaching practice. He has always understood the importance of motivating people to enhance performance. He studied the techniques of great managers, especially his mentors Sir Bobby Robson and Louis van Gaal but always sought to develop his own style and methods. His appetite for learning is boundless. And he once said "One of the most important things I learnt from Bobby Robson is that when you win, you shouldn't assume you are the team, and when you lose, you shouldn't think you are rubbish".

3. Work Ethic

"Every other top coach says they work hard and they prepare better than anyone else, but they can't make what Mourinho does. Everything he does is better. He works harder than anyone else." - Rui Faria, fitness coach, Chelsea

Mourinho has a strong work ethic. His phenomenal success as a manager at several top European clubs has been the result of sheer hard work. Mourinho and his team prepare rigourously for every match. 

Every football coach will tell you they have a great work ethic. What makes Mourinho different is that he knows it's not just about working hard, it's about working effectively. He believes, "You must work hard and work well. Many people work hard, but not well."

4. Master Tactician

"He is a bit special in his approach to every game....Every player is very well prepared. They know their job." - Dutch international Arjen Robben, Bayern Munich and ex-Chelsea player.

Mourinho has what the French call 'savoir faire', which literally means 'know-how'. His tactical knowledge is highly respected within the game. He is a shrewd and brave tactician with an in-depth knowledge of playing formations. He knows the strengths and weaknesses of all his players. He produces player profiles which focus on their personality traits, athletic abilities and technical skills. 

His preparation includes meticulous player-by-player analysis of opponents. Mourinho has said, "We analyse our rivals and we try to imagine how they will play against us. Using these thoughts we position certain players in certain positions according to the oppositions strengths and weaknesses." 

Marco Branca, Sporting Director at Inter Milan, said during Mourinho's reign as manager there between 2008-10, "He is totally professional. His attention to detail, his planning and preparation, his understanding of the opposition, his tactics... everything." 

5. Intelligence

"He is very intelligent, has incredible charisma and a rather special way of managing things." - Eric Cantona, actor and former player.

Mourinho is an intelligent man. He is a great thinker. As stated earlier, he has studied sports science, physical education and psychology at university level. He uses his intelligence to understand people and situations and this intelligence is evident in his TV interviews and press conferences. 

He thinks deeply about issues and this helps him to gain insights into all aspects of the game. Mourinho sees what every other manager sees but his knowledge of psychological techniques helps him to understand football and people at a level few other managers can match. 

Mourinho has spoken about the importance of having intelligent players capable of thinking effectively on and off the pitch. He wants players in his image. 

6. Leadership

"There is no coach like him when it comes to sticking his neck out and defending everyone, that way reducing the tension within the team when things aren't going well." - Diego Milito, ex-Inter Milan forward and Racing Club player.

As a leader Mourinho displays strength and supreme confidence. He is charismatic and inspires players to believe they can win and that their manager believes in them. He has said "When the players think you are strong and that you trust them, it helps them to have a good attitude," adding, “I only go to war with those I trust.” Mourinho's record of achievement shows how well players respond to his leadership. He uses his own motivation to inspire his players commenting that "Your motivation must be the engine so the players must then go with you.” 

Mourinho seeks to unite his team to feel part of a close family. Mourinho's belief is that "Players don't win you trophies, teams win trophies, squads win trophies." He is supportive of his players and treats them as equals. 

On becoming Chelsea manager in 2004 he wrote a letter to each of his squad saying, “From here each practice, each game, each minute of your social life must centre on the aim of being champions. First-teamer will not be a correct word. I need all of you. You need each other. We are a team.” Mourinho believes that creating close bonds with players helps them to perform well and win. 

7. Psychological Mind

"Mourinho is a great psychologist, he demonstrates that in the most difficult moments." - Gonzalo Higuain, Napoli Forward and ex- Real Madrid player.

Mourinho understands psychology and is arguably the first manager to understand in detail the key role the brain plays in how people think, feel and behave. He has said "Football is not all about the physical aspect, it’s about much more than that. In the grand scheme of things, the physical aspect is probably the least important element." Dejan Stanković, one of his players at Inter Milan said; "We have worked so hard on our mental approach under Mourinho to convince ourselves we are a great team". And, of course, Mourinho is well-known for attempting to 'psyche-out' the opposition both before and during a game. 

Mourinho understands psychological concepts such as 'emotional intelligence' that can help his players to manage their emotions, to stay calm and manage stress and anxiety. This is important because Mourinho knows that he needs players to remain calm, think clearly, react quickly, and avoid becoming overwhelmed by emotions. 

Mourinho has incorporated psychology into his training methods. For example, he give clues to help players to discover his ideas rather than telling them directly. This 'guided discovery' way of learning is powerful because players feel they have discovered something for themselves rather than being told. 

8. Man Management

“I discovered a José Mourinho who was concerned with the fact that players were human beings as well as sports men and that they could have good and bad days.” -  David Barreirinhas, União de Leiria, 2001-02.

Ask José Mourinho about the most important thing in coaching, and he will say ‘man management’. “Football for me is a human science; it’s about man, above everything else”, he told BBC Radio 4 in December 2011. For a man who sparks such intrigue, it’s a somewhat underwhelming response, yet his reference goes far beyond ‘rotating the squad’ and ‘keeping players happy’. Rather, it’s about a deep understanding and appreciation of players as complex human beings with desires and emotions, and the knowledge of how to exploit it.

At Chelsea, Mourinho told Frank Lampard he was the world’s best player but needed to win trophies – challenging his ambition while exploiting the fact that, until then, Lampard had won nothing. At half-time during an Inter game, he told an under-performing Zlatan Ibrahimović, soon to receive the award as Serie A’s best foreign player, to hand the prize to his mother – “someone who actually deserves it”. In saying so, Mourinho was playing on the Swede’s pride. Ibrahimović returned to the pitch, promising to run until he tasted blood.

Clearly, in terms of motivational techniques, Mourinho operates on a much deeper level than other managers. His methodology surpasses pep-talks and hair-dryer treatments, primarily because one message can only speak to so many individuals. Players are different – indeed, humans are different. They have good and bad days – highs and lows. What inspires some may lead others to switch off. “There are many ways to become a great manager,” Mourinho says. “But mostly I believe that the most difficult thing is to lead men with different cultures, brains and qualities. And I think to manage this is the most important thing.”

Mourinho assesses each player's strengths and weaknesses, and then helps them to improve, as borne out by Sami Khedira, Real Madrid's German international midfielder who said that “He helps all his players to improve. He always wants the best, he finds each player’s strong points.” 

Mourinho knows how to gain the respect of his players, including the biggest stars in his team. He will vary his approach according to the individual and the situation. Some players may need to be yelled at or challenged whilst others may need encouragement or support. He can be unconventional. He once sent his exhausted Inter Milan player Wesley Sneijder on holiday to relax. Upon his return, Sneijder said, "I went to Ibiza for three days. When I got back, I was prepared to kill and die for him.” Enough said.

This also partly explains Mourinho’s ability to succeed in different leagues. He absorbs the cultural values, dismantles the players’ minds and deploys his strategies accordingly. His pragmatism applies not only to tactics.

9. Master of Communication

“I don’t know how he does it. He has some sort of trick and everybody listens to him.” - Karim Benzema, Real Madrid.

From early in his career Mourinho demonstrated the art of effective communcation. He is articulate in interviews and press conferences. He communicates his ideas clearly and enthusiastically to inspire and motivate his players. He also learns how best to communicate with each player to help them to perform at their best. As already stated, Mourinho will sometimes communicate ideas and plans to his team in writing, knowing that this can help to get his message across to best effect. 

Like all great communicators, Mourinho varies his style to suit the occasion. He has summed this up by saying, "It is difficult to communicate with the players during a top match so I don’t shout too much during the half-time team talk, I try to control my emotions and be what the team needs me to be.... I can be very cool or I can be very emotional because the team needs a certain response from me. There is always a certain emotional component as well as a tactical contribution." 

10. Passion for the Game

"I can say I love to be a coach on the pitch. I like the direct involvement with the players, the methodology, the exercises, the development of ideas, analysing the game, trying to improve the players and the team." - Jose Mourinho.

Mourinho lives and breathes football. Is there any manager past or present who is more passionate about the game and winning than José Mourinho? His enthusiasm, his love of the game and his self-belief are infectious. He has enriched football immeasurably and is the greatest personality in the game for decades. 

Who can forget his now-famous, joyous jig down the touchline after Porto's Champions League semi-final victory over Manchester United in 2004. As Mourinho said of his behaviour, "I feel sometimes that I’m playing the game. And sometimes the players demand that of me.” 

From his time at F.C. Porto, he has been the man to expect "the unthinkable" from, a tactician per excellence.

Muh Zer'noh