Mourinho is one of the most famous and controversial coaches in football today. He has won eight league titles, ten domestic cup titles and two Champions League titles in four major European leagues. His
Mourinho is one of the most famous and controversial coaches in football today. He has won eight league titles, ten domestic cup titles and two Champions League titles in four major European leagues. His tactical thinking, personality charm, and media operation have made him an existence that cannot be ignored. This article will review Mourinho's legendary experience in the Champions League, how he led four different teams to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League or above.
2004: Porto won the championship and Mourinho became famous
The year 2004 was the starting point of Mourinho's trip to the Champions League and his most brilliant year. He took over Porto in 2002, a Portuguese team that was not considered promising at that time. In just two years, he has built Porto into a strong European team, not only winning the Portuguese Premier League championship twice in a row, but also winning the European Union Cup in 2003.
In the 2004 Champions League season, Porto won the first place in the group match, and beat Manchester United, Lyon, and German Bundesliga Banba Bayern Munich to reach the final. In the final, Porto faced the French league giants Monaco. Mourinho's team won the Champions League easily with a score of 3-0, which was also the second Champions League champion in Porto's history. After winning the championship, Mourinho rushed to the center of the court to celebrate his great achievements, which became a classic scene in the history of the Champions League.
2010: Inter Milan won the championship and Mourinho reached the summit
In the summer of 2004, Mourinho left Porto and joined the English Premier League giants Chelsea. He coached Chelsea for three seasons and led the team to win two English Premier League titles, an FA Cup title and two League Cup titles. However, he did not achieve ideal results in the Champions League. He led Chelsea to the semi-finals twice, but both of them were eliminated by Liverpool. In 2007, Mourinho and Chelsea's boss Abramovich had a conflict, and he chose to resign.
In 2008, Mourinho returned to the coaching seat and coached the Italian giants Inter Milan. In his first season at Inter Milan, he led the team to win the Serie A championship, but in the Champions League, he encountered the curse of the semi-finals and was eliminated by Manchester United. In the summer of 2009, Mourinho introduced Eto'o, Sneijder, Milito and other strong reinforcements to increase the strength of the team. In the 2010 Champions League season, Inter came out as the first in the group match. In the knockout match, they defeated Chelsea, CSKA Moscow and Barcelona and reached the final. In the final, Inter Milan faced the German Bundesliga supremacy Bayern Munich. Mourinho's team defeated the opponent 2-0 and won the Champions League, which was also the third Champions League championship in the history of Inter Milan. Mourinho has also become the third coach in the history of the Champions League to lead two different teams to win the championship. At the same time, he has led Inter Milan to complete the first treble in Italian football.
2013: Real Madrid semi-finals, Mourinho frustrated
In the summer of 2010, Mourinho left Inter Milan and joined Spanish giants Real Madrid. He coached Real Madrid for three seasons and led the team to win a Spanish championship, a King's Cup championship and a Spanish Super Cup championship. However, he failed to realize his dream in the Champions League. He led Real Madrid to the semi-finals three times, but failed to reach the final. In 2011, he was eliminated by Barcelona. In 2012, he was eliminated by Bayern Munich. In 2013, he was eliminated by Dortmund. In his last season at Real Madrid, Mourinho also had conflicts with Casillas, Ramos, Cristiano Ronaldo and other key players of the team. The atmosphere of the team was very bad. In 2013, Mourinho terminated his contract with Real Madrid, ending his coaching career in Spain.
2023: The semi-finals in Rome, Mourinho revitalized
In the summer of 2013, Mourinho returned to Chelsea. During his second coaching period at Chelsea, he led the team to win a Premier League championship and a League Cup championship. However, he did not make a breakthrough in the Champions League. He led Chelsea to the semi-finals only once, but was eliminated by Atletico Madrid. In 2015, Mourinho's third season at Chelsea suffered the biggest crisis of his career, and the team ranked the bottom of the league.