Mourinho started coaching on a full basis in 1976 (he had worked as an assistant with Belenenses, while still an active player). His first spell in the top tier was in 1980–81 with Amora, which he had led to promotion as champions the previous year. He left the team midway through the campaign and rejoined the Segunda Liga with Rio Ave,[4] achieving the same feat after winning seven matches in 11.[3]
Mourinho's only full seasons in the top flight were 1981–82 and 1983–84, leading Rio Ave to the fifth place in the former and the final of the domestic cup in the latter.[5] The former saw his son José involved with the squad for the first time, and he was also usually tasked with scouting other teams for his father when not playing for the reserves.[6] Mourinho rarely selected his son, but on the final day of the campaign against champions-elect Sporting CP, a defender was injured in the pre-match warm up, so he told his son to get changed. However, president José Maria Pinho, fearing the threat of nepotism, overruled the decision to do so;[7] the incident saw the pair leave the club to join Belenenses the following summer – before that, the manager was considered for the Portugal job, but he was passed over for Fernando Cabrita.[6]
Mourinho returned to Rio Ave in 1983, but was sacked on Christmas Day 1984 after the team went on a bad run and lost to Covilhã.[6] In the mid-to-late 1990s, he twice came to the rescue of Vitória Setúbal, with top-division relegation befalling in 1995 as they only won twice in his 12 games in charge.
Personal life
Mourinho married Maria Júlia Carrajola dos Santos (born 1939), a teacher, and had two children, Teresa (1960–1997) and José.[8][9][10] The latter went on to become one of the most renowned and successful football managers of his era.[11]
^Pinto Ferreira, Carolina; Bénard Garcia, João (30 June 2017). "Abandonado na hora da morte" [Abandoned in the hour of death] (in Portuguese). TV Guia. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
