Jose Mourinho was born in Setubal, Portugal, on 26 January 1963. The son of former goalkeeper Felix Mourinho, he had a modest playing career before concentrating on coaching. His early development included work in youth football and a period alongside Bobby Robson. Mourinho worked with Robson at Sporting CP, Porto and Barcelona, initially becoming widely known for his interpreting duties while also developing his responsibilities on the coaching side. He remained at Barcelona under Louis van Gaal before moving into senior management.
Mourinho’s first spell as a first-team manager came with Benfica in 2000. It was brief, but he subsequently strengthened his reputation at Uniao de Leiria and was appointed by Porto in January 2002. His time at Porto transformed his standing in European football. The club won the UEFA Cup in 2003 before capturing the UEFA Champions League in 2004, defeating Monaco 3-0 in the final. Porto also won consecutive Portuguese league championships under Mourinho.
Chelsea appointed Jose Mourinho in the summer of 2004. His first season produced the Premier League title and EFL Cup, with Chelsea conceding only 15 league goals during the campaign. The league championship was the club’s first for 50 years. Chelsea retained the Premier League title in 2005-06, and Mourinho later added the FA Cup and another EFL Cup before leaving in September 2007.
He returned to management with Inter Milan in 2008. Inter won Serie A during his first season, but the defining campaign came in 2009-10. Jose Mourinho guided the club to Serie A, the Coppa Italia and the UEFA Champions League, completing a treble. Inter defeated Bayern Munich 2-0 in the Champions League final at the Santiago Bernabeu, giving Mourinho his second European Cup as a manager.
Jose Mourinho then became Real Madrid manager in 2010. His first spell in Spain brought the Copa del Rey in 2011, followed by La Liga in 2011-12 and the Supercopa de Espana in 2012. Real Madrid accumulated 100 points and scored 121 league goals during their title-winning season, with Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo in the team. Mourinho also took the club to three consecutive Champions League semi-finals before departing in 2013.
A second spell at Chelsea followed. Mourinho won another EFL Cup and his third Premier League championship in 2014-15 before leaving in December 2015. Manchester United appointed him in 2016, and his first season at Old Trafford brought the EFL Cup and UEFA Europa League. United defeated Ajax in the 2017 Europa League final. He remained at the club until December 2018.
Jose Mourinho returned to the Premier League with Tottenham Hotspur in November 2019. He took Tottenham to the 2021 EFL Cup final but left the club before the match was played. Roma appointed him later that year. In his first season in Italy, Roma won the inaugural UEFA Conference League, beating Feyenoord in the 2022 final. The victory made Mourinho the first manager to win the Champions League, UEFA Cup or Europa League, and Conference League. Roma reached the Europa League final the following season, losing to Sevilla on penalties. Mourinho left Roma in January 2024.
His next appointment took him to Turkiye with Fenerbahce in 2024. Jose Mourinho then returned to Portugal to manage Benfica in September 2025, beginning a second spell at the club where his senior managerial career had started.
In 2026, Jose Mourinho returned to Real Madrid for a second spell as head coach, 13 years after leaving the Spanish club. Real Madrid confirmed him on a three-year agreement, with his contract running until 30 June 2029. His return also took him back into the Champions League with the club he had previously managed from 2010 to 2013. In September 2026, Mourinho began Real Madrid’s Champions League campaign with a 2-1 home victory over Inter, the club he had led to the European title in 2010.
If you are interested further in his career spell, go and check Jose Mourinho’s profile in Transfermarkt.
