The latest step in Jose’s European odyssey
To most, this Wednesday’s Europa Conference League final, and the competition as a whole, will mean little to nothing. A tertiary backwater, an additional revenue stream for UEFA, another Thursday night nuisance. And so on. Try telling any of that to the fans of the two clubs involved in the inaugural showpiece – Feyenoord, without a European trophy since UEFA Cup triumph 20 years ago and very much an also-ran in the Dutch Eredivise in recent years, and Roma, without an official UEFA title to their name (they did win an Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1961 to be fair) and last in a final in 1991. Go further and try telling that to Jose Mourinho, former serial trophy collector, looking to end a five-year wait for silverware and alter his waning reputation.
The Special One’s appetite for success was crystallised in the aftermath of the semi-final victory over Leicester City, managed by his old protégé Brendan Rodgers. Tears came streaming down the face of the Portuguese manager, overcome by the emotion of the occasion and, more likely, the incredible atmosphere in the Stadio Olímpico.
Of course, with it being Jose, his comments on how much it all meant to the fans and the club were followed by a reminder of his previous success, and his luck at competing in far more prestigious finals. Slightly braggadocious? Yes. Completely accurate? Yes. Mourinho, perhaps more than any manager, has left an indelible mark on European club competition in the last 20 years.
This final will be his fifth, the most of anyone during this period alongside Carlo Ancelotti - he’s won his previous four, another record. Alongside his arch-nemesis Rafa Benitez, no one else has won both the Champions League and Uefa Cup/Europa League in this time – and he did it twice over.
This feat was first achieved in just two years at Porto. The UEFA Cup came first in 2003, with Glaswegian heartbreak in Seville (sound familiar?) as Martin O’Neill’s Celtic were finally vanquished 3-2 in extra-time. This was swiftly followed the next season with the big one, and, the arrival of Mourinho as a box-office draw in football – sprinting down the Old Trafford touchline was a nice place to start.
Perhaps the “smallest” club to win the Champions League in the last 30 years, most of their stars would move on, as would Jose to Chelsea in the summer of 2004.
Domestic success came instantly and in bulk, with two league titles, two league cups and one FA Cup in three full seasons of his first stint at Stamford Bridge. Europe was another story, one of heartache and near-misses, chiefly at the hands of Liverpool at the semi-final stage in both 2005 and 2007.
What was achieved however, was the installation of a strong mentality amongst the squad and a passion for Europe within the fanbase. The latter is particularly relevant when compared to the somewhat apathetic feeling amongst Manchester City fans in recent times.
His time at Real Madrid (2010-2013) had a similar tone to it. Domestic success over Pep’s Barca came eventually but alongside yearly semi-final exits – first to Messi magic, then to Bayern on penalties and finally to Dortmund and Robert Lewandowski’s four goals.
Between these two came his first Italian job – with Inter Milan from 2008 to 2010, when was possibly at the absolute peak of his powers. He fell to Fergie and United in his first season but by 2009-2010, he’d built a side, like his first Chelsea side, completely in the mould of himself. The signings of Wesley Sneijder, Lucio, Diego Milito and Samuel Eto’o (in arguably the most lopsided swap deal of all time with Zlatan and 40m going to Barca) on top of the likes of Javier Zanetti, Esteban Cambiasso and Maicon gave him the perfect blend of power and panache. A team of men, and eleven on-field lieutenants for the master general. And well, a young Mario Balotelli.
Champions League success came as part of a treble – the first and only by an Italian side, with a 2-0 win over Bayern in the final at the Bernabeu. A rather fitting location. This remains the last occasion an Italian side has won a European trophy. A 12-year drought that would have been unimaginable in Calcio’s 1990s heyday but a sign of its decline in recent years.
A return to Chelsea would follow his time with Real, and with it, Jose’s sixth semi-final defeat – a record equalled by Guardiola this season. A second sacking came in the winter of 2015, after a stunning post-title capitulation, and its fair to say it marked the end of the Special One as a top- bracket elite coach.
Still, some success came in Europe, albeit at Europa League level with United in 2017 (with current Roma players Chris Smalling and Henrikh Mkhytaryian). It is the club’s last trophy, and was part of a so-called “treble” alongside the League Cup and Community Shield. His three fingers in the air while celebrating a testament to this belief/banter.
In fact, since his time at Porto, Mourinho has made a final with every club he’s managed – either at home or abroad, even if he was sacked the week before the League Cup final last year with Spurs. 29-year old Ryan Mason instead being trusted to lead the troops.
Oddly enough, European finals have been made with Porto and Inter, underdog sides, and not Chelsea and Real, high-spenders. United were a bit of a mix, with the general state of the club.
This underdog status lends well to Mourinho at Roma, where fighting against the Northern powers of Juventus, Inter and AC Milan is the name of the game. I Giallorossi have won just three league titles, and the last of their nine Coppa Italia’s came in 2008. A victory in Wednesday’s final would be seismic – eternally remembered in the eternal city.
And let’s be honest, the competition needs it. Mourinho is arguably modern football’s greatest hype man, all bravado and hyperbole. He would overstate the importance of the victory more than anyone else, if for his own ego and legacy more than anything.
He’d never let anyone forget that he was the inaugural winner of the tournament, the one to end Italy’s 12-year drought, the winner of their last two European trophies, and the first man to win all three of UEFA’s current competitions.
Who would bet against another three finger salute? A two finger one can’t be ruled out in the event of a defeat it must be said.
It will likely be the last dance, and the last trophy at European level, for Mourinho. A final special moment for the “Special One”.
If none of that entices you to cheering him on, his Instagram post and caption after a victory will probably be worth it alone.
All in all, it’s not bad for a man who started off as Sir Bobby Robson’s translator.