Jose Mourinho is a Portuguese football manager and former football player. Currently, he manages the Premier League club Manchester United. He’s regarded by many in the football community as one of the greatest and most successful managers in the world. As of late, however, Manchester United has been in the news for their struggles and all eyes (and blame) have been on Mourinho.
In 2017, Mourinho became the first coach to have spent more than $1.38 billion on transfers. In a league that can afford that kind of change on a trade, let’s see how much they pay the people running the show.
José Mourinho Net Worth: $50 Million
In January, Mourinho signed a contract that will extend his commitment to coach the Red Devils until 2020, with an option for an additional year. It certainly pays well to be the coach of one of the most successful teams in the world’s most esteemed league. Let’s take a look to see how Mourinho got to where he is today!
Early Life
José Mourinho, 55, was born in 1963 to a large middle-class family in Setúbal, Portugal. His father, Félix Mourinho, played football professionally and Jose wanted to follow in his footsteps. He lacked the skills to become a professional and chose to focus on becoming a football coach instead.
His mother enrolled him in a business school, but Mourinho dropped out his first day. He decided he would rather focus on sport, and chose to attend the Technical University of Lisbon, to study sports science. Mourinho sought to redefine the role of coach in football by mixing coaching theory with motivational and psychological techniques
1990’s
Mourinho looked for a path into professional management in his hometown and became youth team coach at Vitória de Setúbal in the early 1990s. Later he accepted the position of assistant manager at Estrela da Amadora, then was a scout at Ovarense. Then, in 1992, an opportunity arose to work as a translator for a top foreign coach, Bobby Robson. Robson had been appointed as the new manager of Lisbon club Sporting CP and needed a local coach to work as his interpreter.
Mourinho began discussing tactics and coaching with Robson in his interpreting role. Robson was sacked by Sporting CP in 1993. In the same year when Porto, another Portuguese club, hired him, he brought Mourinho with him. Porto went on to dominate Portuguese football the following years. The duo moved again in 1996, this time to Barcelona. Their effective partnership proved to be a success once again, and Barcelona finished the season by winning the European Cup Winners’ Cup. When Robson left at the end of the year, Mourinho opted to stay with Barcelona as an assistant manager.
2000-2004
Mourinho’s chance to become a top-tier manager came in 2000 when he was asked to coach Benfica. Only 9 matches into his tenure, he asked for a contract extension. When the club refused, he left. He found a new managerial post at União de Leiria. During his time there, he impressed larger Portuguese teams and eventually was asked to manage his former team, Porto. Mourinho managed Porto for two seasons and had plenty of success during his time there. He won two Primeira Ligas, the Taça de Portugal, the UEFA Cup final, Portuguese Super Cup, and, most impressively, defeated the likes of Monaco, Manchester United, and Real Madrid to win the UEFA Champions League. Once again, the bigger clubs noticed Mourinho and he accepted the managerial role at Chelsea the following year.
2004-2010
Mourinho’s initial run at Chelsea was from 2004 to 2008. During this time with Chelsea, Mourinho solidified his place as a top manager in the Premier League with continued successful finishes and multiple trophies. He also became a prominent character in the football community, known for his witty remarks and often controversial antics on and off the pitch. In 2008 he moved to Inter, where he would manage until 2010. His short tenure with Inter started rocky but eventually ended with a Champions League win in 2010. Under Mourinho, in 2010 Inter became the first Italian club to win the Treble (three trophies in one season).
2010-Present
After the season, he moved on to coach in La Liga with Real Madrid. He would manage the team until 2013. His time there certainly had its ups and downs, as he wasn’t able to repeat the same success he had with Inter. He returned to Chelsea, where he would coach from 2013 to 2016. In the 2014 to 2015 season, Mourinho and Chelsea only lost three matches all season. They won the Premier League and Mourinho was named Premier League Manager of the Season.
He packed his bags again in 2016. This time, to Manchester United where he currently coaches. So far, Mourinho has won two major trophies with Man Utd: the EFL cup, where he became the first United manager to win a trophy in his debut season, and the Europa League. With Man Utd, he is currently signed on to manage the team until 2020 with an option for a further year.
