At one point, Jose Mourinho was considered the "medicine" for every crisis of clubs.
A team going through a difficult time. An inexperienced manager is facing a deadlock. A team needs a classy star. Call Mourinho and he's willing to give all that.
The 62-year-old has gone through legendary days as an interpreter under Bobby Robson at Barcelona. He also won the impressive Champions League with Porto and created sustainable golden erays with Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid.
Mourinho is a champion, almost certain to win the title, and the public's attention to the clubs he leads has never been a burden.
That is Mourinho's resume. But at the age of 62, with more than 20 years of experience in leadership at the highest level, he is no longer as brilliant as before.
Mourinho has gone through so many heated press conferences, criticized so many referees, disagreed with so many club owners and left too many players behind, to the point that he seems to be out of his way out.
When he was sacked by Fenerbahce at the end of August this year for failing to qualify for the Champions League, it seemed like a classic end to Mourinho's cycle. Not only a transfer conflict, an argument with the referee, a heavy fine and a ban on coaching, this time, Mourinho's team has not won any titles. Fenerbahce only finished second in the Turkish Super Lig last season.
Mourinho has been linked with a return to the Premier League. Obviously, the return of "Special One" to England could attract audiences. However, Nottingham Forest rejected and chose Ange Postecoglou after sacking Nuno Espirito Santo. And now, it seems that Mourinho is on his way back to Portugal.
He is said to have agreed to take over Benfica after Bruno Lage was sacked. Mourinho has led Benfica before, but that was more than 20 years ago and he has only coached in 9 matches. This means the Lisbon giants have never really experienced a "turmoil" with Mourinho.
Benfica are a big club, participating in the Champions League, so this is not necessarily a step back for Mourinho. However, it is perhaps an acknowledgement that he has returned to his hometown for the first time since leaving Porto 21 years ago to join Chelsea. Mourinho is no longer likely to seek himself himself a big job in Europe.
After all, Mourinho's options now are not many, especially when he has led Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham in England, Real Madrid in Spain, Inter Milan and Roma in Italy. Will Paris Saint-Germain or Bayern Munich still consider Mourinho when they need a new coach? Maybe not.
This veteran strategist can hardly accept that, but his golden age is over. His reputation as a master counter-attacker, a " Supremate destroyer", capable of neutralizing even the strongest attacks, has now fading.
Unfortunately, that image has been replaced by the image of a negative, irritable and unattractive coach. Mourinho's football style and personality used to be highlights when accompanied by good results, but now, although they are still good, those results are no longer considered excellent.
Mourinho's move to Benfica, if successful, seems to be just a stepping stone towards the ultimate goal. Mourinho has expressed his desire to lead the Portuguese national team one day. And this move could be an admission that he has given up pursuing the ambitions that made his name.
