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José Mourinho - Made in Portugal: the official biography by Luis Lourenço

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In just a few years, José Mourinho has proved himself to be one of the most successful and controversial of football managers. He arrived in London in the summer of 2004, to take on the role of the manager at Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich’s Chelsea FC. His impact on English football was immediate, with his unmistakeable self-confidence, style, drive and ambition. Now he has moved on to Inter Milan where, once again, he has become the focus of media attention. But how did his career start? What led him to becoming one of the great enigmas of World Football?  This fascinating book charts his rise from relatively humble beginnings as assistant coach to Sir Bobby Robson, to become the most sought-after club manager in Europe.

Readers will gain an insight into Mourinho’s management skills, as well as his whole footballing philosophy, and his approach to motivating his players. Mourinho himself writes of his move to Roman Abramovich's Chelsea FC and of approaches by other clubs; his ‘mind games’ with Sir Alex Ferguson as Manchester United are knocked out of Europe; and his fears for his personal safety and that of his family after receiving a death threat on the eve of what should have been the biggest night of his life.

Long-term family friend, Portuguese journalist Luís Lourenço guides us through the formative years in Mourinho's coaching career, as he returns to Portugal from Barcelona at the turn of the millennium and embarks on the remarkable four-year journey which will lead him to Chelsea FC. A journey which includes short-lived yet turbulent spells at Portuguese giants Benfica and minnows União de Leiria, and culminates in a night of unforgettable glory for FC Porto and José Mourinho as they are crowned Champions of Europe.

224 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2005

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Luis Lourenco

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5 stars
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
13 reviews
January 14, 2015
It's a very good book. The continual input from Mourinho himself makes it something worth reading. You really get an insight into the way he works, and his principles of life, and football.
Profile Image for Huy Nguyen.
42 reviews
November 4, 2022
Mourinho is “a Special One” but Lorenco’s book about Mourinho is just a normal one

The autobiography of Jose Mourinho was written by Louis Lorenco - a journalist and a close friend of Mourinho tells the story of his early days in the coaching field. It began at the end of Mourinho's tenure at Barcelona as an assistant under manager Luis van Gaal. Conflict with the Dutch manager prompted the decision to quit his job to embark on a coaching career, leaving him free to make his own decisions and step up to take on the challenge he had always wanted. Leaving the capital of Catalonia, ignoring the disapproval of family and friends, he returned to his homeland Portugal to seek challenges. There he began coaching Benfica, Uniao de Leiria, and Porto, and gradually proved himself to be a talented man before reviving a decaying Porto and reaching the top of Europe in both the C2 and C1 cups. The autobiography ends with Porto's victory over AS Monaco in the Champions League final. Through 11 chapters of the book, I see that Mourinho always proves to be a talented manager, even when he has not been given the opportunity.
However, the number of pages is too short, and the story is told by a close friend instead of Jose Mourinho himself, causing many details to be omitted as well as sketchy. What did Mourinho think at the decisive moments? Did he really think and feel as Lorenco told us? We cannot verify. But one thing we can agree on, Mourinho is "a Special One".

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Profile Image for Memduh Er.
68 reviews23 followers
September 10, 2018
Bir kitap ancak bu kadar piç edilebilir...

Yanlış çeviri, yarım kalan cümleler, abuk sabuk ifadeler, olmayan terimler, vs. ne isterseniz var. Zaten kitap da matah bir kitap sayılmaz (aman da ne kadar başarılı olduk, o sırada da ne kadar duygulandık dışında bir derinlik yok kitapta) ama Türkçeleştirme sırasında iyice fantastik hale gelmiş :(
Profile Image for Andrew Mensah-Twumasi.
Author 1 book1 follower
May 23, 2021
Really enjoy reading about polarising figures. The 2 Mourinho books i read came out quite close to each other. Both good reads, and little different. One of them, I apologise. This one, or the one with Patrick Barclay detail the CL in 2004, and i remember specifically the Semi Final 2nd Leg. I watched that game with admiration. So was in tuned with the book(s).
Profile Image for M Eren Yasar.
71 reviews1 follower
February 19, 2024
I read this when i was 10 LOL. A great book about a great manager Jose Mourinho. His definition about Zidane is still in my mind. He is a hardworker and a humble man. Winning these trophies with Porto is really uncomparable successions. I still symphatise with him a lot. He is a very smart man. Also a very good man too... I think this book had a great impact on my reading attitudes till this day. Reminds me such nostalgia.
5 reviews
April 17, 2015
A good book and a look into how Jose Mourinho became the sucessful manager that he is today with insight on how he motivate and manage his players from his formative years with Benfica to FC Porto.
Profile Image for Jak.
537 reviews11 followers
October 5, 2009
A really interesting insight into arguabley Chelsea best ever manager.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews

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