The remarkable Cesar Peixoto story Wolves fans may not know about | OneFootball

New Wolves boss Cesar Peixoto annoyed Jose Mourinho after crashing his car whilst playing for Porto under the legendary manager.

Wolves are preparing for life under César Peixoto, after the club made the surprising decision to appoint the Portuguese coach as Rob Edwards’ successor.

Despite winning just three of his 27 Premier League games after his appointment in November, many expected Edwards to stay at Molineux, particularly as he had been involved in the deals to sign Kieran Trippier and Raul Jimenez.

But, the club decided to go in a different direction, with Jorge Mendes once again expected to be an influential figure at Wolves, and his client, Peixoto, has now been named as the new head coach.

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César Peixoto made headlines at Porto under José Mourinho

Most Wolves fans didn’t know much about the 46-year-old, and his CV makes for mixed reading, as he had several different jobs in his home country.

However, his most recent role was undoubtedly Peixoto’s best, as he led Gil Vicente to a sixth-placed finish in the Portuguese top flight, which was an outstanding achievement when you consider the budget he was working with.

As well as that, he had to deal with two key players departing in January, with top scorer Pablo one of those, after he joined West Ham.

So, Peixoto’s stock is as high as it has ever been right now, and he is now preparing for what is his biggest managerial job so far, as he looks to take Wolves back to the Premier League.

Yet, it’s hard to imagine that he will be overwhelmed by the challenge that faces him, as Peixoto enjoyed a successful playing career that saw him turn out for Porto, Braga and Benfica, among other clubs.

Even though he was by no means a key player at any of the clubs, he was part of some very successful squads, which included helping Porto to win the UEFA Cup and Champions League under José Mourinho.

That group will go down in history in Portuguese football, and it was the team that really took Mourinho to another level, with the current Real Madrid boss having gone on to have a remarkable career.

But, as mentioned, Peixoto wasn’t always a regular for the ‘Special One’, and it’s fair to say that he also risked the wrath of Mourinho on one occasion.

Back in May 2004, it was reported that Peixoto had crashed his car close to the training ground, with some teammates, including ex-Wolves boss Nuno Espírito Santo, coming to help him.

Thankfully, he only suffered very minor injuries, even though the car was damaged, but it certainly didn’t go down well with Mourinho.

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Costinha, who was a key part of the Porto squad, has spoken about how the manager was furious with Peixoto, with Mourinho stating that his time at the club would be over.

That wasn’t the case though, and Peixoto ultimately ended his time at Porto with three league titles and a Taca de Portugal to go with his two European trophies.

César Peixoto has worked with some elite managers ahead of Wolves test

Of course, this was a mistake by Peixoto in his younger days, but it will have given him an insight into how to deal with players, and, in Mourinho, he is working with arguably the best when it comes to that.

He has previously discussed how he had a ‘love-hate’ relationship with the former Chelsea boss, but there’s no doubt he would’ve picked up a lot from working with him every day over the period of a few years.

Jorge Jesus is another top manager that Peixoto worked with during his playing career, and he referenced the ex-Benfica chief, along with Mourinho, as influences in his first Wolves interview.

With Ernesto Valverde and Carlos Queiroz just two other managers that Peixoto played for, he has had an excellent grounding to become a top coach.