Mourinho Magic in the Champions League: The European History of 'The Special One'

Mourinho Magic in the Champions League: The European History of 'The Special One'

Last night marked yet another instalment of the frantic footballing phenomenon that is the Champions League league phase final day.

As expected, it brought a plethora of goals, drama, twists and turns more fitting for a Broadway show than a night of football, but as final whistles blew around the world, one game remained alive and had the world captivated.

Benfica were sitting on an unlikely 3-2 lead over serial winners Real Madrid, yet were still in desperate need of a goal to sneak them into the playoff spots and keep the dream alive.

As the clock ticked over into the 98th minute, all hope appeared forlorn, and nothing short of a miracle was needed.

The tension around the stadium and on the pitch was palpable, but in Benfica's technical area, there was a sense of calm oozing from the one man who knows exactly what it means to succeed in Europe's premium competition.

'The Special One' is no stranger to special moments on salient European nights, so when his side won a free kick midway inside the Madrid half and he sent his star goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin forward, it almost felt as if he already knew the outcome.

As the ball was lofted in, the giant in neon yellow rose highest, powering the ball past a stranded Thibaut Courtois and sending the Benfica faithful delirious.

Benfica had done it and were through to the playoff phase by the skin of their teeth.

It was an unforgettable night for the club, but merely another branch on a blossoming European tree of success for the man at the helm...

Porto Paradise: Against All Odds

Mourinho's journey into management began under the great Sir Bobby Robson, who mentored him during his time as both an interpreter and assistant manager before Mourinho flew the nest and began his journey into solo management.

His first couple of jobs at Benfica and União de Leiria set the foundations for Mourinho's principles to develop before a move to Porto saw his career reach terminal velocity.

The Portuguese immediately made an impact, recovering what had emerged as a disappointing league campaign before his arrival to a 3rd-place finish – but perhaps the most intriguing of all was the oath he vowed to honour at the end of the season…

Mourinho had his mind set on one thing – making Porto champions.

And boy, did he fulfil that prophecy.

Jose would quickly turn the tide of what appeared to be a club in freefall before his arrival, with the next season seeing an imperious Porto marching to the title with only two losses across the season.

Not only that, but Mourinho would exceed all expectations, also winning the UEFA Cup (now the Europa League), with his side seeing off a stubborn Celtic in a 3-2 victory to claim the crown.

But the now idolised gaffer was not done there.

The following season in 03/04 brought a Champions League campaign which many thought was more of a 'free hit' adventure than any serious chance of glory.

But instead, what unfolded was nothing short of a fairytale story which defied the confines of what many thought possible.

Porto would go on a run which saw them only lose one game in the entire tournament, that being a group stage defeat to Real Madrid, before scalping Manchester United with an 89th-minute winner and Lyon and Deportivo La Coruña in two-legged ties on their way to an unlikely final.

In said game, Porto took on French outfit Monaco, running out 3-0 winners in a performance which summed up their competition perfectly – unbelievable.

A spell at Chelsea would follow this unlikely success at Porto, where Mourinho would further add to his growing trophy cabinet with a multitude of domestic honours, but it wouldn't be long before his love affair with European competitions would rear its head once again.

Indomitable Inter

9 months after his Chelsea tenure came to an end, it was a move to Inter that saw Mourinho hit the headlines once again.

In his maiden season with the club, Mourinho had to settle with a Supercoppa and a Serie A title – but as we know, a European trophy is rarely far from The Special One's crosshairs, and it would be the following season in 2009/10 that saw him climb the mountain once again.

63 years of José Mourinho.

•Won the UCL with a Portuguese team
•Made Chelsea be born
•Won the treble with Inter
•Revived Real Madrid
•Stood up to the Glazers at United
•Stood up to Levy at Spurs
•Won in Europe with Roma

Football's biggest hustler.pic.twitter.com/1lUI1ryh6G

— IM🇵🇹 (@Iconic_Mourinho) January 26, 2026

Two domestic cups in the lead-up to the final gave Inter the chance to be the first Italian side to complete the treble – to which Mourinho, of course, duly obliged in a 2-0 dispatching of German outfit Bayern Munich, marking what would turn out to be his final game in charge of the Milan club with yet another awe-inspiring European victory.

Agony in Spain, English Annoyance & 100% Maintained in Manchester

What followed his domination at Inter was a lull in the European prowess of Mourinho as he headed to Real Madrid ahead of the 2011/12 season, leading them to their deepest Champions League run since 2003, where they were bettered by rivals Barcelona in the Semi-finals.

This theme would continue twice more, making it three consecutive semi-final defeats for Los Blancos, and, despite record-breaking success in La Liga, that would spell the end of his reign with Los Blancos.

A Chelsea reunion was next on the agenda, where Mourinho claimed Chelsea and Inter were his two great passions – but, at least in Europe, Jose's drought would go on, with another semi-final exit and a pair of disappointing round of 16 defeats that were somewhat papered over by his third Premier League title.

Mourinho's return to Stamford Bridge would come to an end in August of 2015, where he would take a year off from the stresses of management before diving headfirst into the almost insurmountable task of taking Manchester United forward.

His new job began as he meant to go on, with a Community Shield victory over Leicester City.

And he would continue that trophy-winning form with an EFL Cup win over Southampton, but, once again, Mourinho was not finished, and a very handy Europa League campaign was capped off just weeks later with a 2-0 victory over Ajax, which saw European glory return to Old Trafford under The Special One's leadership – it was also a victory that continued Jose Mourinho's 100% record in European finals, a quite incredible feat given the illustrious career of the Portuguese.

That would be his final showing of European heroics in England, with the next couple of seasons not coming close to triumph and a two-season stint at Spurs resulting in a round of 16 exit in the Champions League and Europa League respectively, but you can't really expect much more with Tottenham, can you?

Roma Resurgence

After being sacked by Spurs just days before an EFL Cup final, in the wake of some characteristic controversy from Jose, it wouldn't be long before another job came around, this time taking over at Roma in May 2021.

And, as you have probably gathered already, it once again didn't take long for Mourinho to capture more European glory.

This time it was new territory in the form of the UEFA Conference League, and, following a 2-1 victory over Leicester City in the semi-finals, Mourinho became the first manager to reach the final of all three UEFA competitions.

He then became just the third manager to win all three active European competitions, following in the footsteps of Udo Lattek and Giovanni Trapattoni, with a classic Mourinho 1-0 win over Feyenoord in the final. This game would also make him the first to ever win the UEFA treble, which consists of the three current competitions – that being the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League.

The following season would see a historic record come to an end, with Roma being beaten 4-2 on penalties by Sevilla in the Europa League final and ending Mourinho's 100% record in European finals.

The relationship would then break down at Roma, with a short and insignificant stint at Fenerbahçe falling before his move to Benfica – which brings us to today.

A Career to Remember & He Couldn't, Could He??

Now back in his original stomping ground of Portugal, Mourinho has racked up a total of five European trophies in his managerial career, with an entire novel's worth of stories and subplots contextualising those incredible feats he has achieved.

Some have been against all odds, and some have been as a glimmering favourite, but one thing is for certain – The Special One's record in Europe is exactly that, special.

José Mourinho celebrating with the ball boy will go down in history.

WHAT A MOMENT. pic.twitter.com/Ktb5weZ4Ih

— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Footballtweet) January 28, 2026

Pulling off something with this current Benfica side would be a miracle unlike any seen before in football history, and, in fact, many would tell you (including Jose himself) that it is impossible – but if history has taught us one thing, it is to never write off Jose Mourinho.