Linked with Benfica, media recall José Mourinho’s first spell | OneFootball

On the upcoming September 20th, when Benfica has a scheduled match with AVS, the 25th anniversary of José Mourinho - now once again linked to the command - being introduced as the coach of the reds is marked. In a period shrouded in uncertainty, the Special One was the choice of the Board, however, his stay was not long.

In the final stretch of the year 2000, Vale e Azevedo, then president of Benfica, announced that Jupp Heynckes no longer met the conditions to continue leading the eagles and, two days later, he formalized the arrival of the young coach, José Mourinho.

It would be the Portuguese's first experience as a head coach, after having worked as an assistant coach to Bobby Robson and Louis van Gaal, in the technical command of Porto and Barcelona, respectively. "He is a young coach with great ambition. We are convinced it will be a winning bet", explained Vale e Azevedo at the presentation of the Setubal native.

In the same press conference, after the statements of the then President, José Mourinho explained why he accepted the invitation from the reds: "I didn't even hesitate and what I am going to say are not mere words. I feel an enormous honor and pride in representing Benfica".

However, his tenure proved to be short and unable to convince the fans, as well as the Club's Board of Light. Overall, the Special One only managed 11 matches at the helm of Benfica, recording six victories, with his last win with the eagles being in a derby against Sporting, by 3-0.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.