Who is Fenerbahce’s new head coach Jose Mourinho?

Fenerbahce’s newly-appointed head coach, Jose Mourinho, renowned as one of the most successful football coaches in history, is embarking on new challenges with the Turkish Super Lig powerhouse.

Nicknamed “The Special One,” Mourinho was unveiled Sunday as Fenerbahce’s new head coach. He received a warm welcome in Istanbul, where a signing ceremony was held in his honor.

“Fenerbahce made the biggest transfer in their history with the Mourinho move,” Serkan Akcan, a commentator for beIN SPORTS and writer for Turkish sports daily Fanatik, told Anadolu on Monday. “The fact that Mourinho is a trendsetting manager is universally recognized. Since the UEFA Champions League final on June 1, Mourinho has been doing Fenerbahce’s PR.”

Akcan highlighted the financial implications and the potential for significant player acquisitions following Mourinho’s appointment. “Top coaches like Mourinho want a squad budget as much as they want a salary. I think Fenerbahce fans should be as excited about the possible squad as Mourinho is. There is no doubt that there are many footballers today who would want to be in Mourinho’s team,” he said.

“The responsibility now falls on Fenerbahce’s management to leverage their influence to sign elite players for the missing positions, without interfering with Mourinho’s authority,” Akcan added.

The 61-year-old Portuguese coach has accumulated 26 trophies in his illustrious career, including all three major UEFA club trophies: the Champions League, Europa League, and Europa Conference League.

Mourinho previously won the Champions League with Porto and Inter Milan, the Europa League with Porto and Manchester United, and the Europa Conference League with Roma.

Mourinho’s coaching career started uniquely compared to his peers. He began by studying sports science at the Technical University of Lisbon and became an interpreter for Sir Bobby Robson at Sporting Lisbon in 1992. He followed Robson to Porto in 1994 and later to Barcelona in 1996, where they won the Spanish Cup and UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup.

Mourinho remained at Barcelona as an assistant to Louis van Gaal, winning two La Liga titles, the UEFA Super Cup, and the Spanish Cup before pursuing full club management.

Mourinho’s success at Benfica, despite a brief stint, and at Uniao de Leiria, led to his appointment at Porto in 2002. He quickly turned Porto into champions, clinching a “Famous Treble” in the 2002-03 season by winning the Portuguese League, Portuguese Cup, and UEFA Cup. The following season, Porto won the Champions League, cementing Mourinho’s legendary status.

In 2004, Mourinho joined Chelsea, leading them to their first league title in 50 years with a record 95 points. He won multiple trophies with Chelsea before moving to Inter Milan in 2008, where he achieved another historic treble, including the 2010 Champions League title.

Mourinho’s stint at Real Madrid saw him break records, including a historic La Liga championship with 100 points in the 2011-12 season. He left Madrid in 2013 after winning several titles.

Mourinho returned to Chelsea in 2013, winning the Premier League and League Cup before departing in 2015. He then managed Manchester United, where he won the Europa League, League Cup, and Community Shield in his first season.

After a brief tenure with Tottenham Hotspur, Mourinho joined Roma in 2021, guiding them to their first UEFA trophy, the 2022 Conference League title. He became the first coach to win all three UEFA competitions.

Mourinho left Roma in January and joined Fenerbahce on Sunday. The celebrated manager, who has won championships in every league he has coached, promised to “improve” Fenerbahce and assured the Yellow Canaries’ fans that “their dreams are now his dreams.”