London (AFP) – Jose Mourinho, who was sacked by Tottenham on Monday, has been fired before winning a trophy for the first time as a manager, in the latest setback to a career veering increasingly off course.
The Portuguese coach, a serial winner across Europe, arrived at Spurs 18 months ago with a point to prove after his reputation was tarnished by his more than two-year spell in charge of Manchester United.
Despite a highly acrimonious reign at Old Trafford, the self-declared “Special One” still claimed three trophies, including the 2017 Europa League, although another was the Community Shield.
But his equally rocky tenure at Tottenham, again marked by a dismal run of results and high-profile disagreements with players, ended with Mourinho empty-handed.
From ‘Special One’ to trophy-less at Tottenham: Reactions to Jose Mourinho’s Spurs sacking
For the first time in his career as a football manager, Mourinho leaves a club without a single trophy. File image of former Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho reacts | Dylan Martinez / Reuters
Jose Mourinho is one of Europe’s most successful club managers, but his trajectory at Tottenham Hotspur tracked a wearily familiar arc of initial promise followed by bitter recrimination.
For the first time since the early years of his managerial career in Portugal, the self-declared “Special One” leaves a club without silverware after he was sacked by Spurs on Monday.