Jose Mourinho has always been a figure who elicits strong opinions. Even before embarking on his coaching career, when he briefly worked as a physical education teacher, sentiments about him were divided. Almost two decades after Porto’s victory in the Champions League, “The Special One” continues to generate contrasting views regarding his work, tactics, and demeanor.
Nevertheless, the stringent standards he imposes command respect and appear to be ingrained in his approach even before attaining global coaching status. At the age of 50, Armenio Anhos serves as a testament to this. Anhos was a student at a school on the outskirts of Lisbon during Mourinho’s one-year stint as a physical education teacher before joining Sporting. At that time, Mourinho was in his early twenties, transitioning from an active football career to coaching, leaving a lasting impression on youngsters like Anhos with his attitude toward football.
“For a year, Jose Mourinho was my physical education teacher just before he went to Sporting. He was 23 or 24, and I was 14 or 15,” recalls Anhos to “Sun.” “Back then, I didn’t expect Mourinho to become what he is now, but he was the same. That’s what I really respect about him – Mourinho hasn’t changed. He’s always ready to argue with you. Whatever is on his mind is on his lips. I love him. I’ve always loved him, even more so in school. And I wasn’t the only one. Many people liked him, but many didn’t like him. Just like now.
“Even back then, many of his classmates thought he was too rough. But he was fair. In Portugal, if you fail a subject, you have to retake it, so a few older girls also trained with us. Mourinho looked quite good and drove a cool Renault 18. He wasn’t the coach of the team, but he put me in goal. I stood in goal and did quite well. After that, I became the goalkeeper for the school team. He taught me everything – football, basketball, volleyball.
“Everyone sees physical education as a subject where you don’t have to put in much effort. You just encourage, throw some ball, and that’s it. But it wasn’t like that with him. He liked to say, ‘Just like your teachers in English, Portuguese, and mathematics, I have a university degree. You should respect me in the same way. I’m not here to waste my time, and you should learn from me.'”
The shock was palpable. Typically, during breaks, teachers retreat to the staff room, but Mourinho preferred to stay with the students, observe their activities, and engage in conversations. It was highly motivating.”
Much like Anhos in his school days, Mourinho has inspired millions of fans and left indelible memories for many players. Not universally loved, but that’s part of his allure. This former student has avidly followed his teacher’s trajectory – from serving as Sir Bobby Robson’s translator at Sporting in 1992 to Porto and Barcelona, where Mourinho’s pragmatic approach harmonized with Robson’s philosophy of attacking play. Mourinho’s tenure even extended during Louis van Gaal’s reign, who provided the platform for him to showcase his coaching prowess.
In September 2000, Mourinho was appointed head coach for the first time at Benfica, but just three months later, he was dismissed. Subsequently, he found himself at Leiria before taking over at Porto in January 2002.
With his appointment, Jose promised to transform the team into champions, and in his first full season, he delivered on that promise by winning the Portuguese Cup and the UEFA Cup. A year later, he once again made the “Dragons” champions, reaching the pinnacle of European football by clinching the Champions League in the 2003/04 season.
This success paved the way for remarkable periods at Chelsea, Inter, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Tottenham, and now Roma. Meanwhile, Mourinho earned the moniker “The Special One” and secured a total of 20 major trophies, including the unforgettable treble with Inter.
Only once, after completing his schooling, did Anhos get the opportunity to meet his former teacher. He traveled from England to Lisbon expressly to queue for an autograph on Mourinho’s book. However, he has consistently supported him, even during family vacations.
“This demonstrates how much I love him,” Anhos continues, harboring the dream of one day witnessing his idol live at the “Olimpico.” “His inaugural match in charge of Real Madrid in the 2012/13 season was against Valencia. My family and I were vacationing in the Algarve. On Saturday morning, I informed my wife that we would go watch Real Madrid the next day.
“What?!” she exclaimed. “It’s 40 degrees, and you want us to drive to Madrid just to watch Mourinho?” I told her that wherever he is, there I am too. I purchased seven tickets and boarded a van. We drove for eight hours, arriving ten minutes before the match began. We entered, watched the game, which ended in a draw, and then drove another eight hours back.
Following that, Real Madrid suffered a defeat to Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League semi-finals in 2013. Mourinho was on his knees. I felt a lot of sympathy for him and wanted to support him for his next match. So on Sunday, I flew to Madrid and paid £300 to enter the Santiago Bernabeu and witness Real Madrid beat Sevilla. After that, I boarded the plane again and returned. I’m not interested in Real; I was there just to watch Mourinho. For this man, I would do more than for my children.”
Anhos has a profound reason to harbor such intense affection for Mourinho. It was Jose who persuaded him to abandon basketball and kindled his serious interest in football. He served as the catalyst for Anhos to become a footballer initially and later a coach. Having moved to England 17 years ago, Armenio now coaches the reserve team at the unassuming Barking FC. He even succeeded in convincing Fabio Paim to address his players about the significance of hard work and work ethic for a player.
Paim, once considered as talented as Cristiano Ronaldo, if not more, was earning £6,500 per week at the age of 13. However, as is often the case with many young boys, money and a lavish lifestyle led him astray, even landing him in prison. Anhos, known to the players as “Dos,” incorporates some of Mourinho’s tactics with the youth, including emulating his iconic celebration by sliding on his knees on the field.
“Mourinho is the greatest coach in history. He is simply amazing,” Anhos shares. “I love him very much. The passion with which he spoke made me love football. I show the boys a lot of videos, mainly of Mourinho. I even try to mimic his speeches. Once, I even celebrated by sliding on my knees. Last season, we were playing in Kent and were losing 0-1, but in the last second, one of the boys scored an incredible goal from outside the penalty area – that’s my favorite moment.”
