5 iconic moments of Jose Mourinho's career

Look into those eyes. A pair that has conquered every challenge it has come up against and seen dreams willed into solid reality. A pair that has exhibited wisdom over the ages.

Well, Jose does have a shrewd demeanour. Combine that with his relentless cunning ideas and you will get a manager who has his name etched in the topmost echelons of the masterminds of the game.

Excellent man-management, the sheer brilliance of tactics mind games that have deluded opponents for over a decade. That's how you sum up the Special One. The 54-year-old Portuguese is one of a kind and one of the most successful tacticians up to date.

But, how did the legend of Jose Mourinho come into being? Which junctures have been responsible for his rise to prominence? Surely the Judas of Chelsea wasn't conjured up in a day.

Here, take a look at the most iconic moments that defined the birth and ascension of the 'Special One' - Jose Mourinho.

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#5: The announcement of the phrase - 'Special One' (2004-05)

Mourinho proclaimed himself as the Special One in his first Chelsea conference

"Please don't call me arrogant, but I'm European champion and I think I'm a special one.”

That was what the young manager roped from FC Porto said in his first conference as Chelsea's new boss in 2004. Mourinho did raise a few eyebrows back then.

A claim like that was really a brave one to make, considering Chelsea were nowhere near the heavyweights Arsenal and Manchester United in the Premier League. But, that self-proclamation showed the confidence and the winning pedigree of the Portuguese mastermind. The famous title has stayed with him ever since.

While he raised eyebrows with that quote, Mourinho was quick enough to defy the odds of his critics by winning the League title in his first year itself at Chelsea.

In doing so, Mourinho became one of the only five managers in the Premier League era to achieve this feat. Chelsea would go on to win more glory, proving to be a major threat to Wenger and Ferguson.

Looking at his glorious past, Mourinho rightly earned the sobriquet of the 'Special One' in the football world.

#4: The Europa League triumph (2016-17)

Mourinho was his first Europa League and a Champions League promotion in style for United

Arriving at Old Trafford under the intense pressure of reinstating the club back to its former glory, Mourinho failed to make the mark in the league, finishing sixth in the 2016-17 season. As the possibility of another season without the UEFA Champions League hovered over the club, Mourinho gained the Champions League promotion in style.

With only a month to go for the Premier League to conclude, United looked increasingly short of a top-four finish by the end. The Red Devils had already won the EFL Cup and the Community Shield, but Champions League seemed to be out of reach.

Mourinho decided to switch his attention to the UEFA Europa League, where Manchester United earned a comfortable 2-0 victory over Dutch outfit Ajax in the final. Finishing sixth in the league, United won three trophies and a promotion to the Champions League.

Say hello to the class of Jose Mourinho!

#3: First league title with Real Madrid (2011-12)

Real Madrid won the league with a record 100 points in season 2011-12

Jose Mourinho arrived at a discontent Santiago Bernabeu, tasked with winning a plethora of trophies for the club. Although the Los Blancos failed to make the mark again, Mourinho and Madrid redeemed themselves in their second together.

The 2011-12 season is termed as the 'League of Records' by Spanish media, owing to Madrid's pulverization of gigantic records. The Los Blancos broke Real Madrid's record 107 goals in a season with a whopping 121. Also, Madrid won the league with a record 100 points, one better than Barcelona's record haul in the 2009-10 season.

A stay that should have lasted longer, the Special One departed for his former club Chelsea in 2013.

#2: Champions League victory with Inter Milan (2009-10)

Inter Milan won the third European title with Mourinho in charge

The 2009-10 season has to go down as the best in the history of Nerrazuri. Inter Milan became the first club in Italy to win a treble. And a major credit goes to Mourinho's crafty tips and tricks.

Chelsea, CSKA Moscow, Barcelona, and Bayern Munich. Those were the might opponents Mourinho defeated as Internazionale lifted their first Champions League after 44 years.

While Guardiola dreamt of humiliating Madrid by winning the Champions League title at the Bernabeu, It was Mourinho who had the last laugh in the competition. The competition also saw the birth of the Mourinho-Guardiola rivalry which has never failed to entertain since.

An emotional Jose Mourinho then bade goodbye, as he moved on to an exciting rollercoaster ride at the Santiago Bernabeu.

#1: The Champions League victory with Porto (2003-04)

The moment that announced the arrival of Jose Mourinho

Two days after the sacking of Octavio Machado, Porto decided to bring Mourinho back to the club. Charged with the task of steering Porto, the Special One was a relatively unknown face to the football world.

An apprentice to Sir Bobby Robson, this was the first test for Mourinho to display his trade as a tactician in the game.

On his arrival, Mourinho promised a title in his first interview while the media scribbled doubts over his abilities in the newspapers. However, the Special One is a man of his word. Staying true to his promise, Mourinho won the title in his first ever season as a coach, and another one the following season.

In the Champions League season 2003-04, Porto were up with the ever-daunting Los Galacticos of Real Madrid in the group stage. Yet, a mediocre looking team on paper advanced forward with just one loss to the round of 16.

And, as if that wasn't enough, Porto were put to test against Alex Fergusons's Manchester United.

While the media touted United as the ultimate favourites to go through, Mourinho's Porto pulled up a major upset, as the Reds crashed out of the competition.

Subsequently, Mourinho won the title, beating Monaco in the final and reaching the paradise with Porto. Lifting his first-ever UCL Trophy, that too with a mediocre club, that's what made him the 'Special One' as he rightfully calls himself.