User:SquareKnees/sandbox
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Santiago Mário dos Santos Mourinho | ||
| Date of birth | 2 February 1990 (52 years old) | ||
| Place of birth | Porto, Portugal | ||
| Managerial career | |||
| Years | Team | ||
| 2018 | Benfica | ||
| 2019-2020 | Sporting Lisbon | ||
| 2020-2021 | Chelsea | ||
| 2021-2024 | Roma | ||
| 2024-2026 | Paris Saint-Germain | ||
| 2026-2028 | Manchester United | ||
| 2028-2035 | Inter Milan | ||
| 2035-2037 | Real Madrid | ||
| 2037-2043 | Chelsea | ||
| 2043-2044 | Juventus | ||
Santiago Mário dos Santos Mourinho is a Portuguese former professional football manager. Mourinho is one of the most successful coaches in the history of football.
Mourinho began his professional managerial career with Benfica, following in the footsteps of his father, legendary football manager José Mourinho and becoming the youngest manager in the history of the Portuguese League at the age of 28.
Throughout his career, Santiago has managed some of the biggest clubs in the world and boasts an incredible 43 competition wins. The highlight of his career came during his time as manager of Paris Saint-Germain, where in the 2025/26 season he led the club to seven trophies including the Champions League title, Santiago's second with the club.
Santiago is the second child and only son of legendary football manager José Mourinho. To date, the father-son manager duo have only managed against each other on one occasion on 19 May 2024. Lazio (managed by José) were beaten 1–5 by Santiago's title winning Roma side, although Santiago did not celebrate any of the goals.
Early life and education
[edit]Mourinho was born in 1990 in Porto while his father was training as a coach in the city. He had an unsettled childhood due to his fathers work and the need to move city and country frequently. He has since claimed that he felt most settled while living in Barcelona as his father worked as assistant manager alongside the likes of Bobby Robson and Louis Van Gaal.
This meant that Mourinho never really settled into schooling and never felt a connection to this, instead turning his attention to football.
Early coaching career
[edit]In early 2016, Mourinho joined Lille as a youth coach, which is where he met up with his future assistant manager, João Sacramento. Later that year while manager of Manchester United, José Mourinho added Santiago to his coaching setup. Santiago departed Manchester United ahead of the 2017/18 season to join Juventus as a first team coach under manager Massimiliano Allegri. During his time under Allegri, Mourinho was often praised by the Italian manager for his foresight and awareness of tactical developments he felt Juventus needed to make. He departed at the conclusion of the season to pursue his managerial career.
Managerial career
[edit]Benfica
[edit]Mourinho was confirmed as Benfica manager on 16 July 2018, becoming the youngest manager in the club's history. He was unveiled in front of the Benfica fans the following day. He then won his first game in charge of Benfica on 8 August, a 1-0 home win in a Champions League qualifier game against Slavia Prague. His first league game came on 18 August which resulted in a 1-1 home draw against S.C. Braga.
Mourinho was sacked by Benfica on 16 December that year, following disappointing results and a run which saw the team win only 3 of their last 11 games. Mourinho found out that he had been relieved of his duties only a couple of hours after a 0-1 home defeat to Santa Clara
Sporting Lisbon
[edit]Mourinho was confirmed as the new manager of Benfica's rivals, Sporting Lisbon on 3 June 2019. Mourinho's first game in charge of Sporting resulted in a 4-0 home win against Djurgårdens followed by a 3-0 home win against F.C. Paços de Ferreira. Sporting under Mourinho enjoyed an excellent start to the season, remaining unbeaten for 20 matches from the start of the season until a 1-2 home loss against Gil Vicente. They also managed to finish top of their Europa League group, moving on to the knockout stages. Mourinho was praised for being able to get the best out of Portuguese midfielder Bruno Fernandes who shined in the Mourinho system.
In the latter half of the season, Mourinho guided Sporting to the final of the Europa League, knocking out St. Gallen, Schalke, Lazio and Chelsea along the way. He also led the team to the final of the Taça de Portugal having knocked out strong favourites F.C. Porto along the way. The League title was confirmed after a 0-2 away win against Gil Vicente, just 4 days before the Europa League final against Tottenham. Sporting won the match 4-2, with Mourinho becoming the youngest ever winning manager of a UEFA competition at just 30 years-old. 4 days later, Sporting completed the treble after defeating Leixões 3-0 to win the Taça de Portugal title.
Sporting confirmed that they had agreed to part ways with Mourinho on the 28 May.
Chelsea
[edit]Following speculation over his future, Mourinho was officially announced as the new manager of Chelsea on 6 June 2020, replacing the departing Jorge Jesus. The arrival of Santiago in England was hailed by the British media as the arrival of the "Special Son" - in reference to his father, José's nickname of "The Special One" when he first came to England.
Santiago's Chelsea team started the season terribly, losing on the opening weekend of the season 4-0 against Manchester United at Old Trafford. They then went winless in their next 5 games. Chelsea's first win of the season came in the Europa League against FC Midtjylland. They followed this up with a 4-0 home win against Newcastle United.
However, following their poor results and inconsistent performances during the season, Santiago was sacked as Chelsea manager on 4 April 2021. Chelsea were in 8th position in the Premier League at the time and were still in the quarter finals of the Europa League, which they would go on to win without Mourinho.
Roma
[edit]Mourinho was appointed as the new Roma manager on 7 June 2021 on a 3-year deal. The next month Mourinho sanctioned the transfer of club captain and star player Lorenzo Pellegrini to Tottenham. The transfer was £88million - a record fee for an Italian player and the most ever received for a Roma player. The transfer met backlash from much of the fanbase due to Pellegrini's popularity and ability on the pitch. Defender Alessandro Florenzi was promoted to captain ahead of the 2021/22 season.
2021-2023: Returning Roma to the Champions League
[edit]In his first season with Roma, Mourinho made the team more resilient with key signings such as Cristian Romero from River Plate and Jan Vertonghen from Tottenham. This allowed Roma to finish the season in 4th position in Serie A, returning to Champions League football for the first time in 3 years. They also reached the semi finals of the Italian Cup, losing over two legs to Juventus. Throughout the season, Mourinho was praised for being able to tighten up the Roma defense and keep more clean sheets than before he arrived.
During Mourinho's second season with Roma, they were knocked out of the Champions League in the group stage. However, big signings such as striker Dusan Vlahovic from Fiorentina and midfielder Bruno Fernandes from Sporting Lisbon, reuniting Mourinho with his former star player, helped to further strengthen Roma in the league. Mourinho also gained praise for his inclusion of talented young players during the season such as Enzo Fernández and Emanuele Baraldi. The season finished with Roma once again finishing in the Champions League places, in 3rd position.
2023/24: Serie A title & departure
[edit]Ahead of the 2023/24 season, Roma signed Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez as a replacement for the retiring Samir Handanovic. The singing proved to be perfect for Roma, who only conceded 18 league goals all season, winning Serie A for the first time since the 2001/02 season. Over the course of the season Roma defeated rivals Juventus home by 5-0 and away by 2-4. They also beat reigning league champions A.C. Milan 4-0 at home and 1-4 away.
Roma were drawn against Manchester United, Real Madrid and Celtic F.C. in their Champions League group. They went on to defeat Celtic in both legs and secure home wins against both Manchester United and Real Madrid, beating the latter 4-0. As a result they finished second in their Champions League group, 1 point off group leaders Manchester United and 5 points ahead of 3rd placed Real Madrid, allowing them to progress to the knockout stage. However they were defeated by Liverpool F.C. in the round of 16, 2-1 on aggregate.
On 19 May, Santiago and his father José faced each other for the first time on the touchline when Roma faced Lazio in a Serie A match. The result was a 1-5 away win for Santiago's Roma, although he did not celebrate any of the goals.
Following the team's league win, there was much expectation for Mourinho to sign a new contract and remain with Roma. However, on 30 May 2024, Roma announced that Mourinho would not be remaining with the club for the following season. when later commenting on his reasons for leaving Roma, Mourinho said: "it had become clear that myself and the board had different aspirations for where we could take the club".
Paris Saint-Germain
[edit]2024/25 Season: First Champions League title
[edit]Following a meeting with PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, Santiago was officially announced as the new PSG manager on 11 July 2024, replacing Ernesto Valverde. Later that month, PSG confirmed the free transfer signing of F.C Barcelona and Argentine legend, Lionel Messi. The signing was met with huge excitement from PSG fans and the footballing world as Messi was to play for a club other than Barcelona for the first time in his career. The next month PSG also confirmed the signing of versatile player Gedson Fernandes for £61million from Tottenham.
Mourinho won the Trophée des Champions in his first game in charge, with a comprehensive 4-0 win against rivals Olympique de Marseille. Under Mourinho, PSG went on to win their first 26 games of the season in all competitions, only conceding 3 goals in the process. This also included winning all of their 6 Champions League group games.
PSG were drawn against Manchester City in the Champions League round of 16. The first leg at the Etihad Stadium ended in a 2-3 away win for PSG, with Pietro Pellegri scoring a hat-trick. The second leg at the Parc des Princes ended in a 4-1 victory for PSG, securing qualification for the quarter finals.
PSG played the first leg of the Champions League quarter final at the Parc des Princes against Barcelona, winning the match 3-0. The second leg at the Camp Nou resulted in a 3-5 victory to PSG, securing progression to the semis where they were drawn against Manchester United.
The first leg took place on 30 April 2024 at the Parc des Princes resulting in a thumping 7-4 victory for PSG, with Gedson Fernandes, Pietro Pellegri and Erling Haaland all scoring braces. The second leg at Old Trafford resulted in a 2-1 victory for Manchester United, meaning PSG made it to the Champions League final by winning the tie 8-6 on aggregate. This was the second Champions League final in the club's history and the first for Mourinho.
PSG clinched the Ligue 1 title on 3 May after beating Montpellier 1-7. The team finished the season on 103 points, a Ligue 1 record high, with only 1 league defeat all season. They finished 14 points ahead of 2nd placed Olympique de Marseille.
The Champions League final was played at the Luzhniki Stadium against Mourinho's former club, Roma. There was much speculation before the match as to whether Lionel Messi would be starting as he had only recently returned from injury. However, Lionel was named on the bench with Cristian Pavon Named in his place. PSG took the lead early thanks to a Sergej Milinković-Savić goal, however Roma brought the game back with a free-kick from the Brazilian Arthur Melo just before half-time. However 2 goals in the second half from Pellegri and Gedson Fernandes saw PSG win the match 3-1. This was the first Champions League title in PSG's history and the first time a French club had won the competition since 1993. Being 35 years-old at the time, Santiago Mourinho became the youngest manager to ever win the Champions League.
Mourinho won the Ligue 1 Manager of the Year as a result of the club's domination of the league.
2025/26 Season: Septuple
[edit]Mourinho led PSG to their second Trophée des Champions title in a row after a 3-1 victory against FC Metz. The PSG goals being scored by Paulo Dybala (2) and Pietro Pellegri (1). He then led the team to their second title of the new season after a 1-0 victory over Europa League winners Real Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup final with the winning goal coming from Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.
Mourinho led PSG to their third trophy of the season by lifting the FIFA Club World Cup, a first for PSG and for a French club. They lifted the trophy by beating Tunisian team CS Sfaxien 6-0 in the semi-final followed by beating Cruz Azul 3-0 in the final helped by a Neymar Jr brace.
They were drawn against F.C. Porto in the Champions League round of 16, losing the first-leg 1-0 away. However, they overturned this deficit by smashing Porto 4-0 in the reverse fixture. They faced AC Milan in the quarter finals.
On 4 April, PSG played the final of the Coupe de la Ligue against Saint-Etienne. The match resulted in a 3-0 victory for Paris, helped by a Neymar brace to secure the team's 4th trophy of the season.
3 days Later they faced A.C Milan in the first leg of their tie away at San Siro. The team won the game 0-2 thanks to goals from Eduardo Camavinga and Pietro Pellegri. They also won the reverse fixture 3-1 despite a Paulo Dybala missed penalty, securing progression to the semi-finals of the competition for the second year in a row to face FC Bayern.
PSG defeated FC Bayern 3-2 on aggregate to go to back-to-back Champions League finals. They secured the Ligue 1 title 2 days later after a 4-0 victory over Bordeaux to win their 5th trophy of the season. In the process the team set the record for most Ligue 1 points at 104, most league wins with 34, most team goals with 111 and fewest goals conceded with only 10.
On 23 May they faced Metz in the French Cup Final at the Stade de France. PSG won the match 4-0 thanks to a Pellegri hat-trick. This meant that they had won their 6th trophy of the season, leaving only the Champions League which would be their next match.
The 2025/26 Champions League final took place on 30 May at the Signal Iduna Park in Germany between Mourinho's PSG and Premier League champions Man City. Man City opened the scoring with a tidy finish from winger Raheem Sterling in the 5th minute. PSG quickly answered back with an 11th minute strike from outside the box by Milinkovic-Savic to bring the game back level. In the 81st minute Milinkovic-Savic once again shot from outside the box, with the deflection coming off Man City's Christoph Bahr sending the ball into the net. The goal went down as an own-goal and helped PSG to win the match 2-1 and secure their 7th trophy of the season. This being the first time in the history of football that a single club side had won 7 trophies in a season, an historic septuple.
Following this success, PSG announced that Santiago had decided to vacate his role as head coach of the club. When asked about his reasons for leaving, Santiago said:
"there was nothing more to be done, I won everything, and so I need a new challenge. I'm not one of these managers who will sit at a club collecting easy trophies to create the perception of greatness. This is not greatness."
Manchester United
[edit]2026/27 Season: Premier League title
[edit]Santiago Mourinho was approached by Manchester United following his resignation at PSG. He was appointed the new Man United manager on 21 June 2026. This was the third time Santiago managed the same club as his father; the other two clubs being Benfica and Chelsea.
Upon his appointment, Santiago made Jude Bellingham his number 1 transfer target and publicly called on both the player and club to act on this. The signing of Bellingham was confirmed on 31 July from Bayern Munich for a club record fee of £150million, also a record for an English player. The signing of Bellingham meant that 3 of the 5 widely considered to be best players in the world at the time all played for Man United. The other two being Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe.
Santiago's first game in charge of the Red Devils came in the FA Community Shield against reigning Premier League champions Man City. United won the match 4-1 at Wembley Stadium with a brace from both Haaland and Jadon Sancho.
Mourinho went on to lead the team to the Premier League title for the club's first in 6 years, after only losing 3 league games all season.
2027/28 Season: Decline in results and sacking
[edit]During the summer transfer window, Kylian Mbappe moved to Real Madrid for a record-equalling fee of €222 million (£200 million). The move sparked controversy as Mourinho publicly questioned the move and claimed that he didn't sanction his departure.
The new season started with a win in their first game, a 1-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. in the Community Shield.
However, the season was clouded with poor results along with an ongoing dispute between Santiago and star player Erling Haaland. This ultimately led to Haaland joining PSG the January transfer window in a swap-deal which saw Mourinho's former player Pellegri move to Old Trafford.
Despite this change in personnel, it wasn't enough for Mourinho to turn around his Man United fortunes, and he was ultimately sacked by the club following a 4-2 defeat to West Ham which left the club sitting in 8th in the league.
Inter Milan
[edit]2028/29 season: Guiding Inter back to the Champions League
[edit]Mourinho was appointed the new manger of Italian club Inter Milan on 28 May 2028. During the summer transfer window, Mourinho reunited with a former player from Man United in Nicolò Barella for a then record transfer fee for Inter at £54 million.
His first competitive game in charge was a 0-0 home draw to Torino FC.
Throughout the league season, Inter were able to compete with the top teams in the league. Aided by no European football during the season, Mourinho guided Inter back into the Champions League with a 4th placed finish in the league. He also lost in the semi-final of the Coppa Italia 3-2 to rivals Juventus.
2029/30 season: First League title with Inter
[edit]During the 2029 summer transfer window, Inter broke their transfer record fee for the second season running with both signings of young Italian midfielder Marco Giansante from Palermo and Hungarian midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai from PSG for £60 million each.
Ahead of the new season, following the retirement of long-serving striker Mauro Icardi, Barella was appointed new captain for the season.
Inter were knocked out in the Coppa Italia semi-finals again 3-2 on aggregate by SSC Napoli. They also lost in the Champions League round of 16 to Liverpool 4-2 on aggregate.
Inter went on to lift Serie A only losing 3 games and conceding 15 league goals all season. This being the first Serie A title for the club since the 2009/10 season, 20 years prior. The Inter manager during this last league title was Santiago's father, José Mourinho.
The title win was helped by the additions of Inter youth players coming into the Inter team. Central defenders Alessandro Saccomandi and Nicholas Galante along with right-back Alberto Scotta helped solidify the defense, with Scotta going on to win both the Serie A Player of the Year and Serie A Defender of the Year awards.
2030/31 season: Second league title win
[edit]Inter strengthened their midfield with Bojan Markovic on a free transfer from Man City during the summer transfer window.
Inter went on to retain Serie A, only losing one game all season, a 1-0 away defeat to Genoa.
In the Champions League, Inter finished top of their group with 0 defeats. This included a convincing 3-1 home victory against Barcelona followed by a 0-0 draw at the Camp Nou. In the round of 16, Inter were once again drawn against Liverpool. The first leg at Anfield resulted in a 0-0 draw, however Inter went out of the competition on away goals during the second leg at San Siro following a 3-3 draw.
Inter also lost the Italian Super Cup final 1-0 to Napoli, followed by being knocked out of the Coppa Italia also by Napoli with another 1-0 defeat.
2031/32 season: Quadruple
[edit]Ahead of the new season, Mourinho swapped right-backs with Man City, with Nicolo Armini going to Manchester, and Destiny Udogie coming the other way. Inter also bought Ukrainian goalkeeper Andriy Lunin for £12.75M from Dynamo Kyiv following the retirment of former keeper Jiri Pavlenka.
Inter were drawn against the likes of Atletico Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur in their Champions League group, which they ended up finishing in 3rd place in, meaning they moved to the Europa League.
Inter won their first trophy of the season in the Suppercoppa Italia Final, beating Napoli 2-0. They then triumphed against Juventus in the Coppa Italia Semi-final 5-1 on aggregate to progress to the final.
Inter retained Serie A for the third season in a row, finishing on 87 points, 15 points ahead of 2nd placed Juventus. Mourinho followed this up by leading Inter to their 3rd trophy of the season beating Napoli 4-2 in the Coppa Italia final.
Having been knocked out of the Champions League into the Europa League, Mourinho led the team to the final of the competition, winning every Europa League knockout game they played along the way. On the 19th of May, Inter faced Schalke 04 in the final, which Inter won 1-0 thanks to a goal from Alberto Scotta. This being the 4th trophy of the season for Inter and Mourinho.
2032/33 season: Super Cup wins
[edit]Inter were busy in the transfer market ahead of the 2032/33 season, confirming the free-transfer signings of winger Francisco Trincão from Real Madrid, Holding Midfielder Oscar Gomez from Sevilla, defender Panagiotis Restos from Barcelona and striker Daniel Back from Bayern Munich. They also signed Italian winger Edoardo Ferrante from Everton for £36.5M.
Inter won their first game and first trophy of the season beating Bayern Munich 1-0 in the UEFA Super Cup thanks to a goal scored by Alberto Scotta. They won their second trophy of the season thanks to a 2-0 victory over Napoli in the Suppercoppa Final.
In the Champions League, Inter faced a shock round of 16 exit at the hands of Sporting Lisbon, who progressed on away goals after a 2-2 aggregate tie. Inter then finished the League season in 3rd place, 7 points off 1st place Bolognia.
2033/34 season: Fourth league victory
[edit]Ahead of the season, Inter signed attacker Rafael Leão from Barcelona on a free transfer along with another striker, Aleksa Petkovic from Sporting Lisbon for £49M.
On 2 October, Inter defeated rivals Juventus 7-0 in the Derby d'Italia. Setting a new record for the biggest ever Inter win against Juve.
Inter finished top of their Champions League group with 16 points (5 wins and 1 draw) from the 6 group games. This included a 0-0 home draw against Real Madrid along with a 1-2 away win against the Spanish Team. The latter result was highly praised by fans and pundits due to Inter's strong defensive performance, winning at the Santiago Bernabéu with only 38% possession.
On 1st February, Santiago's long-serving assistant manager, João Sacramento departed from his role in pursuit of his own managerial career, joining Girona. Subsequently, Davide Ancelotti was appointed his replacement becoming Santiago's new assistant. Ancelotti formerly worked under his father, legendary football manager Carlo Ancelotti, at PSG, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Napoli, Man United, Arsenal, Barcelona and Liverpool. Thus this was the first time Davide worked in a role where he wasn't assistant to his father since 2013.
Inter were knocked out of the Champions League by Borussia Dortmund during the round of 16 thanks to a 1-3 home defeat inflicted by the German team. Inter then lost their first and only league game of the season away to Napoli, losing 1-0.
Inter were confirmed as Serie A champions for the fourth time in five years on the 9th of May following their rivals Lazio suffering a defeat. They finished the season on 97 points, equalling the league points record for the club from 2006/07. 19 year old midfielder Giuseppe Walter Oliva finished as joint top scorer for the season along with new striker Aleksa Petkovic on 18 goals. Oliva impressed with his performances throughout the season as he made his breakthrough into becoming a first-choice player in Santiago's team.
2034/35 season: final league title, Champions League final & departure
[edit]On the 28th of November, Inter recorded a famous away victory against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the Champions League, winning 0-4. On the 17th of January, Inter missed the chance to win their first trophy of the season as they were beaten 2-1 by Roma in the Supercoppa Italiana Final.
Inter were drawn against Mourinho's former club Sporting Lisbon in the round of 16 of the Champions League. Inter won the tie on away goals after a 2-2 aggregate score. Lisbon were manager by Santiago's former long-serving assistant manager Joao Sacramento.
Inter were drawn against FC Barcelona in the quarter final stage of the competition. The first leg resulted in a 1-1 draw at the Camp Nou. The second leg at the San Siro was a 3-0 win for Inter, securing qualification for the semi-finals.
Inter were drawn against Chelsea in the semi-final, having already played them twice during the season in the group stage of the Champions League. The first match was a 1-1 home draw, but the second leg was a convincing 0-3 win for Inter at Stamford Bridge. Inter would play German champions Bayern Munich in the final, setting up a repeat of the 2010 Champions League final, Inter's last Champions League final. The 2010 final was managed by José Mourinho.
The final score was 2-2 after extra time, sending the game to penalties. Inter missed 2 of their 5 penalties, whereas Bayern were able to convert 4 of the 5 penalties, with Cristiano Ronaldo Jr. scoring the winning penalty to secure the Champions League trophy for Bayern.
The day after the final, on the 3rd of June Santiago announced his resignation as Inter boss after 7 years at the club. During his time with Inter, Santiago guided the team to 10 trophies including 5 league titles, making him the most successful Inter manager in the history of the club.
Real Madrid
[edit]2035/36 season: first League title in Spain
[edit]Santiago was confirmed as the Real Madrid manager on 21st of June, replacing Unai Emery. Soon after his arrival, Santiago brought in the young Portuguese duo of Álvaro Tavares and Abel Soares for a total fee of £62 million. There was great speculation over the summer transfer window that Mourinho sought to bring Cristiano Ronaldo Jr. to Madrid from Bayern Munich, however the deal never materialised. Instead, Mourinho turned to a former club of his to re-sign one of his previous star signings in Jude Bellingham from Manchester United. The deal was confirmed on the 8th of August for a fee of £186 million.
Mourinho's first competitive game in charge of Real was the UEFA Super Cup final against Champions League winners Bayern Munich, who had beaten Mourinho's Inter team in that final. Mourinho saw his team head in 1-3 down at half time, however a second half comeback saw the team win 5-3, securing Santiago his first Real Madrid trophy.
4 days later Real faced city rivals Atlético Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup final. The match ended 0-0 and went to penalties after no goals in extra time. Real Madrid lost the final 3-2 on penalties, with 3 missed penalties from Real Madrid players, including legendary striker Kylian Mbappé.
On the 6th of October, Santiago managed his first El Clásico which resulted in a 2-0 defeat at the Camp Nou.
On the 11th of Novemeber, both Kylian Mbappé and Martin Ødegaard announced their retirement from football. The pair were presented in front of the Real Madrid fans at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium ahead of Real's Champions League match against Liverpool which ended 2-0. During the presentation, Santiago spoke highly of the players while also joking that he needed them for the upcoming game.
In the second El Clásico of the season at the Santiago Bernabéu, Santiago led Madrid to a resounding 4-0 victory despite only having 31% of possession during the match. Pundits praised the performance as a classic Mourinho victory.
Real Madrid finished the season as La Liga winners on 82 points, having only lost 2 league games during the season.
2036/37 season: second league title win, european disappointment & departure
[edit]Ahead of the 2036/37 season, Real Madrid announced the signings of Alessandro Saccomandi and Cristiano Ronaldo Jr. Saccomandi joined from Mourinho's former club Inter for £76 million. Cristiano Jr. joined from Bayern Munich for a world record transfer fee of £356 million. This left expectations for the upcoming season high among fans and pundits.
Real Madrid's first game of the season was the Spanish Super Cup final against Barcelona. Real Madrid won the match 1-0 thanks to an Emilio goal, assisted by new signing Cristiano Jr.
Real Madrid finished 2nd in their Champions League group, having lost both home and away to Chelsea, seeing them finish 1st. Real were then knocked out of the Spanish Cup 2-0 on aggregate by rivals Barcelona.
In the Champions League, Real were drawn against Man City. The first game at the Santiago Bernabéu was a 1-0 win for Man City. In the reverse fixture, Real took a 2-1 lead thanks to two Emilio goals, when Jude Bellingham received a straight red for a reckless challenge. Once down to 10 men, Man City scored again in the second half to make it 3-2 on aggregate, knocking Real out of the competition.
Real once again lifted the La Liga title for the 8th time in a row, finishing on 88 points, 2 more than second place Barcelona. However, despite the league win, Real Madrid president Manuel Guerrero announced that Santiago had left the club by mutual consent. Many pointed to both disappointing European campaigns during Mourinho's tenure as the reason for this departure.
Return to Chelsea
[edit]2037/38 season: first season back in England
[edit]Mourinho's Premier League return was spoiled by a 0-2 home defeat for Bournemouth. After the match, Mourinho stated that there was a long way for the (Chelsea) team to go before they became real challengers.
Chelsea finished the Premier League season in 6th position on 70 points, 1 position and 10 points higher than Chelsea's previous season.
Mourinho led Chelsea to the Europa League final thanks to a 5-2 aggregate victory over Juventus in the semi-final. The final was played on the 19th of May against German club Hertha BSC. Chelsea won the match 3-1 despite a red card for Daniel Forsyth in the 61st minute.
Manager Profile
[edit]Tactics
[edit]Santiago Mourinho is noted for his tactical prowess along with his ability to adapt his tactics depending on different situations. An example of this adaptability could be seen during Mourinho's time with Roma where he employed a solid, defense-minded 4-4-2 formation. This tactic worked to strengthen the Roma defense, along with getting the best out of Roma's two strikers at the time, Edin Džeko and Divock Origi. However, Mourinho was able to adapt his tactics towards the end of his time with Roma after both strikers were no longer viable options, by changing to a 4-1-4-1 counter-attacking tactic. This managed to get the best out of the talented midfielders Roma signed during Mourinho's tenure such as Bruno Fernandes, Enzo Fernandez and Arthur Melo. Changing to a sole striker also suited the changing situation of the squad with Dusan Vlahovic becoming the main striker. This tactic worked by allowing the team to remain defensively solid, but gave them a deadly edge when attacking, allowing them to win Serie A with this tactic.
Another example of Mourinho's tactical awareness is the contrast between his defensive Roma tactics and his more attacking PSG tactics. Mourinho changed to a 4-2-3-1 high-pressing tactic upon arriving at PSG and saw immediate success with this. This allowed him to get the best out of PSG's many attacking wingers and midfielders and allowed PSG to score at will. However, this high-pressing tactic also worked defensively as PSG only conceded 3 goals in their first 26 games, a new record for clean sheets and goals conceded.
Santiago Mourinho has drawn comparisons to his father, José for some of the pragmatic tactics employed at various times during his career. However, Santiago's record of also changing to more attack-minded tactics when he feels necessary is in contrast to José Mourinho. His positive 4-2-3-1 tactics employed at PSG are comparable to those used by both Jürgen Klopp and Mauricio Pochettino. This puts Santiago in a unique bracket for a manager where few managers before have been known to so drastically alter their tactics throughout their career, most notably of which being Sir Alex Ferguson.
Reception
[edit]Santiago Mourinho first gained notoriety due to his high-profile father, José Mourinho. However, he then went on to build his own footballing legacy and went on to be considered to be one of the most talented managers in the world. He was seen as a new generation of manager who was able to adapt to different situations and get the best out of his players. His image of being the future of football managers is supported by his habit of seeking out talented young coaches to join his coaching staff, such as his long-serving assistant manager, João Sacramento.
Santiago is frequently spoken about in the conversation of best football managers in the world due to his incredible win record with most of the clubs he has managed, along with his impressive trophy haul which includes 4 Champions League and 14 domestic League titles.
Managerial statistics
[edit]- As of 8 October 2023
| Team | From | To | Record | Ref. | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | ||||
| Benfica | 17 July 2018 | 16 December 2018 | 27 | 14 | 7 | 6 | 35 | 21 | +14 | 51.85 | |
| Sporting Lisbon | 3 June 2019 | 28 May 2020 | 64 | 46 | 13 | 5 | 151 | 44 | +107 | 71.88 | |
| Chelsea | 6 June 2020 | 5 April 2021 | 48 | 29 | 5 | 14 | 87 | 44 | +43 | 60.42 | |
| Roma | 7 June 2021 | 30 May 2024 | 152 | 97 | 29 | 26 | 298 | 133 | +165 | 63.82 | |
| Paris Saint-Germain | 11 July 2024 | 31 May 2026 | 122 | 107 | 7 | 8 | 365 | 53 | +312 | 87.70 | |
| Manchester United | 21 June 2026 | 20 March 2028 | 99 | 61 | 22 | 16 | 182 | 77 | +105 | 61.62 | |
| Inter Milan | 28 May 2028 | 03 June 2035 | 353 | 218 | 89 | 46 | 632 | 193 | +439 | 61.76 | |
| Real Madrid | 21 June 2035 | 23 May 2037 | 105 | 65 | 26 | 14 | 183 | 50 | +133 | 61.90 | |
| Chelsea | 6 June 2037 | 13 May 2043 | 364 | 233 | 63 | 68 | 355 | 153 | +202 | 64.01 | |
| Juventus | 5 July 2043 | 01 January 2024 | 25 | 16 | 4 | 5 | 35 | 20 | +15 | 64.00 | |
| Total | 1,338 | 873 | 262 | 203 | 2,664 | 903 | +1761 | 65.25 | |||
Honours
[edit]Manager
[edit]Sporting Lisbon
Roma
Paris Saint Germain
- Trophée des Champions: 2024, 2025
- Ligue 1: 2024–25, 2025–26
- UEFA Champions League: 2024–25, 2025–26
- UEFA Super Cup: 2025
- FIFA Club World Cup: 2025
- Coupe de la Ligue: 2025–26
- Coupe de France: 2025–26
Manchester United
- FA Community Shield: 2026, 2027
- Premier League: 2026–27
Inter Milan
- Serie A: 2029–30, 2030–31, 2031–32, 2033–34, 2034–35
- Supercoppa Italiana: 2032, 2033
- UEFA Europa League: 2031–32
- Coppa Italia: 2031–32
- UEFA Super Cup: 2032
Real Madrid
- UEFA Super Cup: 2035
- La Liga: 2035–36, 2036–37
- Spanish Super Cup: 2036
Chelsea
- UEFA Europa League: 2037–38
- UEFA Super Cup: 2038
- FA Cup: 2038–39, 2041–42
- Premier League: 2039–40, 2042–43
- FA Community Shield: 2040
- UEFA Champions League: 2040–41, 2041–42
- UEFA Super Cup: 2041, 2042
- FIFA Club World Cup: 2041
Individual
- Liga Portugal Manager of the Year: 2019–20
- Serie A Coach of the Year: 2023–24, 2030–31
- Ligue 1 Manager of the year: 2024–25, 2025–26
- UEFA Men’s Coach of the Year: 2024–25, 2025–26
- The Best FIFA Football Coach: 2025, 2026, 2032
- Portuguese Best National Manager of the Year: 2023–24, 2025–26
- Premier League Manager of the Month: September 2026, November 2026, December 2026, February 2027, May 2038, October 2038, August 2039, October 2039, April 2041, August 2041
- La Liga Manager of the Month: February 2036, September 2036, October 2036, December 2036, February 2037
- La Liga Manager of the Year: 2036–37
- Premier League Manager of the Season: 2039–40
Records
[edit]- Youngest coach to manage a match in Liga Portugal (aged 29 and 198 days)
- Youngest coach to manage a UEFA Europa League match (aged 29 and 230 days)
- Youngest coach to win Liga Portugal (aged 31 and 104 days)
- Youngest coach to win the UEFA Europa League (aged 31 and 108 days)
- Youngest coach to win the Taça de Portugal (aged 31 and 112 days)
- Youngest coach to win Serie A (aged 34 and 86 days)
- Youngest coach to win Ligue 1 (aged 35 and 97 days)
- Youngest coach to win the UEFA Champions League (aged 35 and 119 days)
- Youngest coach to win the English Premier League (aged 37 and 100 days)