At 63 years old, Jose Mourinho He prepares to return to a place where he was happy. Football has changed. The world too. And he himself, inevitably, has changed over time.. But there is something that remains intact: the intensity with which he lives every day… because Mourinho does not know how to live football halfway.
The level of detail with which he works is difficult to explain, he lives on the edge
His routine starts before everyone else’s. Very early. Always the first to arrive at the training center. It’s not just a matter of discipline; is a way of monitor the pulse of the team from the first minute of the day. He likes to observe who arrives first, who arrives late, who enters focused and who shows signs of fatigue or disconnection.. Even before training begins, Mourinho seeks to control those small details that usually escape.
Mourinho: “I have not spoken with Florentino Pérez, but my representative does have contacts with the club”
“He always knows when a player is going to be better or worse”they assure from their surroundings. “And many times he anticipates it before anyone else.” Mourinho’s mornings pass between quick breakfasts, newspapers, analysis, tactical adjustments and the latest session details. Then comes the field. And there the most recognizable Mourinho appears: obsessive with each exercise, attentive to each gesture, incapable of letting a detail pass without correcting. Nothing is left to chance.
The routine of a man who doesn’t know how to stop
After training, the work continues. Video review, session analysis, individual and collective meetings, planning the next day. Perhaps Arbeloa learned it from him… and hence his famous gray Valdebebas sofa. There is a silent norm in his coaching staff. Nobody leaves the sports city until everything is prepared to the millimeter for the next day. “The level of detail with which he works is difficult to explain”comment those who live with him. “He demands a lot, but because he himself lives at the limit of the demands”.
He wanted the kids to feel that he was watching out for everyone. He talked to them, gave them advice and made them feel important.
And perhaps Mourinho’s key is still there after having won almost everything. He continues to behave like someone who still feels like he has something to prove. Far from confining himself solely to the first team, Mourinho maintains a constant relationship with the club’s young players.. In Seixal it was common to see him watching reserve team matches, attending youth training sessions or sharing lunches with players who were just beginning their journey. “He wanted the kids to feel that he was watching out for everyone. He talked to them, gave them advice and made them feel important”they explain.
The obsession remains intact
That is why he often ends up staying until night in the sports city itself. Watching games from other leagues, preparing for future rivals or reviewing details. Working when most have already left. In decisive moments of the seasonespecially when the family is away, even sleeps there. “It’s difficult to keep up with him, even for the youngest,” those who work alongside him acknowledge. And yet, after so many titles, so many wars and so many years in the elite, the feeling around Mourinho remains the same. As if time had passed for everyone but him.