Major Mou-ments: Jose highs and lows

· The translator

After an undistinguished playing career in Portugal and a spell as a PE teacher, Mourinho worked as an interpreter for former England manager Bobby Robson at Sporting Lisbon and then Porto, where they enjoyed huge success before moving to Barcelona in 1996. Robson lasted only one season at the helm of the Spanish giant but Mourinho remained as assistant to Dutchman Louis van Gaal, before securing the manager's role at Benfica in 2000.

· The European Cup winner

Short spells at Benfica and Leiria were followed by a move to Porto in early 2002, where he won the UEFA Cup and the Portuguese double in his first full season, with future stars such as Deco, Ricardo Carvalho and Vitor Baia. An even greater success was to come the following year when Porto was the shock winner of the UEFA Champions League, beating Monaco 3-0 in the 2004 final after eliminating Manchester United in the last 16 when Mourinho celebrated wildly on the Old Trafford pitch.

· The Special One

Chelsea, bankrolled by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, immediately came knocking and Mourinho was unveiled to great fanfare in June 2004, memorably describing himself as "The Special One" to assembled media. It was not an idle boast: Chelsea won the next two editions of the Premier League, and added one FA Cup and two League Cup titles in a successful first stint in west London. Mourinho's meticulous attention to detail and attritional pressing style cut a swathe through English soccer, but relations with Abramovich soured and Mourinho departed early in the 2007-08 season.

· The Italian job

Mourinho joined Italy's Inter Milan for the 2008-09 season where his legend grew with two scudettos in his first two seasons plus his second Champions League title in May 2010, beating Bayern Munich 2-0 in the final. At the time Mourinho, who clinched the Italian treble that year, was only the fourth manager to win the European title with two different clubs.

· The Real deal

Despite his success, Mourinho immediately departed for Real Madrid but his return to Spain proved ill-fated. Real won the Spanish Cup in Mourinho's first season in charge, but arch-rival Barcelona won La Liga and beat Madrid in the Champions League semifinals. The following year, Real won La Liga but again fell in the Champions League semis. Mourinho's tenure unravelled in the third season as he feuded with players including Cristiano Ronaldo, the media and officials, and poked Barcelona assistant coach Tito Vilanova in the eye during a mass brawl. He departed at the end of the 2013 season.

· The second coming

After being snubbed by Manchester United, which chose David Moyes to replace the retiring Alex Ferguson, Mourinho rekindled his affair with Chelsea in 2013. Chelsea won the Premier League title and the League Cup for a domestic double in 2014/15, but with enthusiasm dwindling for Mourinho's defense-minded soccer, passions cooled and he left in December 2015.

· The Manchester hotel

Manchester United turned to Mourinho in 2016 but the long-awaited match was not a happy one. Mourinho, lacking the charisma of earlier incarnations and choosing to live full-time in a hotel, won the Europa League and League Cup in a promising first season. But as relations with the media deteriorated, and fans grew unhappy with United's style of play, Mourinho was fired in December 2018.