‘Special One’ Jose Mourinho (60, Portugal) coach has been revived splendidly. He leads Italian professional soccer team AS Roma to win the Europa League.먹튀검증
Coach Mourinho is a master representing European football. He was an unknown player, retired at the age of 23, and walked the path of a leader early, and ran on the road to success as a manager. In the 2003-04 season, he coached Porto (Portugal) and won the UEFA Champions League title. Since then, he has led prestigious clubs such as Chelsea (England), Inter Milan (Italy), Real Madrid (Spain), and Manchester United (Man United, England) to win 25 championships in various competitions. In the 2009-10 season, when he was coaching Inter Milan, he achieved a treble (three crowns, including Serie A, Champions League, and Coppa Italia).
The unstoppable momentum was broken in November 2019 when Son Heung-min took office at Tottenham. Introduced as a firefighter during the 2019-20 season, he saved face by leading Tottenham to 6th place. At the beginning of the next season, the 2020-21 season, Tottenham took the lead. However, coach Mourinho insisted on a defense-oriented strategy and the momentum was dampened. It was hardened in April 2021 as the ranking fell to 7th place. It was the first time in his managerial career that he had stopped being unranked.
Coach Mourinho moved to AS Roma coach ahead of the 2021-22 season. Many experts predicted, “Mourinho in his late 50s is over. It will be difficult to lead AS Roma and make a comeback.” However, he surprisingly subverted expectations. As soon as he made his debut, he showed off his strength by leading AS Roma to victory in the inaugural Europa Conference League. It was the first time AS Roma had won a European club competition.
Mourinho’s upward trend continued this season. AS Roma advanced to the final of the Europa League by beating Germany’s Lebecusen on the 19th. It is the first time in 32 years since the 1990-91 season (runner-up) that Roma reached the final of this competition. In the final, which will be held on June 1, they compete for the championship against Spain’s Sevilla. CNN focused on his leadership, saying, “Finally, the ‘Special One (Mourinho nickname)’ is back.”
The secret to Mourinho’s comeback is ‘leadership of faith’. At the time of his appointment to Roma, Henrik Mkhitaryan (34) and Chris Smalling (34) were holding out in the squad. The two ate together with Mourinho during Manchester United (2016-18). At the time, coach Mourinho openly criticized the sluggish performance, resulting in a discord. However, they met again in Rome. Having lost the trust of the players at Tottenham, he did not repeat the same mistake. He abandoned the authority of a director or the ego of a star leader. “The world is so small,” he said, approaching the two players first and extending his hand. The players also opened their minds to Mourinho’s change, who usually seemed arrogant. The relationship between the two players, who were uncomfortable, improved,
Still, Mourinho held fast to his football philosophy. He stuck to a long-term defense-oriented strategy. The players, who were united by their faith in the coach, defeated strong teams one after another with organizational power like a cogwheel. Vice-captain Gianluca Mancini (27) said, “Coach Mourinho is a true leader who is accurate and sharp. He knows when to praise and when to criticize. The desire to win is stronger than ever,” he said.
Mourinho’s ransom, which regained the appearance of a ‘winner’, skyrocketed. Corriere dello Sport recently reported, “Mourinho has been offered the position of coach of the Saudi Arabian national team. The terms of the contract are 120 million euros (approximately 170 billion won) for two years, the highest ever coaching price.” Despite the explosive popularity, director Mourinho does not lose his humility. “My goal is not to make a mark in Roma’s history,” he said. “I want to give joy to the fans while helping the players develop.”