Inside the mind of The Special One – Mk II: Europe’s most-wanted manager Ruben Amorim is now Man United’s No 1 choice to replace Erik ten Hag… and he loves trash-talking just like his idol Jose Mourinho

Madness.

That was the word that filled the conversations and the back pages when, just four years ago, Sporting Clube De Portugal announced that it was taking a risk against a young coach from Braga.

Why had the capital club, one of Portugal’s big three along with Porto and Lisbon rivals Benfica, paid more than ten million euros in compensation, at the time the third highest ever paid for a manager, for a 35-year-old with less than six months of top-level experience? Welcome to the fast track, Ruben Amorim.

At the time, the outrage was led by Portuguese football icon Luis Figo, who acknowledged that the Jose Alvalade Stadium had often been a graveyard for managers and called the decision to employ rookie Amorim ‘loucura’.

Four years later, the only madness surrounding Amorim is that he is not yet among one of Europe’s continental giants. He will be soon.

When Amorim was linked with the Liverpool job earlier this year, he scored highly on data tests led by the Reds and was considering a leading candidate to succeed Jurgen Klopp.

At the time, it was reported that Amorim excelled in terms of expected goals (xG) and data showed that he outperformed Benfica and Porto on a budget, with the Reds having scouts at several sporting fixtures.

The job eventually went to Arne Slot, but Amorim was linked with roles at Bayern Munich, Barcelona, ​​​​Chelsea, Man City, West Ham and even United earlier this year, meaning it felt like just a matter of time until he made the move made.

In a fascinating continental situation for new managers, if United hire Amorim they will have to pay a hefty compensation fee. Portuguese sources tell Mail Sport that this would be a world record for a coach. So… what’s so special about the new special?

Amorim was asked if City boss Pep Guardiola was his point of reference and although he said the Catalan was the best current coach in the world, he responded by saying: ‘My reference has always been Mourinho.’

He took a coaching course at the University of Lisbon’s Faculty of Human Kinetics, where sessions were held under Mourinho alongside Antonio Veloso, who won seven league titles with Benfica in the 1980s.

The pair remained in touch, although the relationship has reportedly evolved from a master-and-apprentice hierarchy. When Amorim’s Sporting knocked Arsenal out of the Europa League in 2023, his compatriot quickly sent him a congratulatory message via WhatsApp.

“The old and the new Mourinho are still in the league,” the then Roma boss joked. When asked about the similarities between the two, Amorim said of his idol: “Mourinho is one of a kind. There will be no more Mourinho. Mourinho is unique.’

Everyone who knows Amorim and his journey well, from former colleagues to Portuguese football experts, cites his unique tactics and motivational speeches. But most of all they talk about his personality.

“The best word to describe Ruben is sincere,” says a former colleague who wishes to remain anonymous because he works for another club. ‘He values ​​relationships, makes sure everyone in the building feels heard, from team captain to office staff, it creates a winning mentality.

‘He is loud, but never aggressive or rude. He is a leader and makes everyone feel like they are working with him and not under him. But his best (trait) is communicating, which makes everyone feel united and trusted.”

There is a social media page dedicated to the countdown to Amorim’s next press conference. Like his idol Jose Mourinho, Amorim believes that matches do not start when the two teams take the field, but during his news briefings, when he is assertive in his words.

Some have described him as a ‘masterful trash-talker’ who tries to get someone on his number the day before the match, but players are said to tune in and hang on his every word. His words may inflame rivals, but they inspire Sporting’s stars.

“He is a brilliant communicator,” says Tom Kundert, a Portuguese football expert who has written two books and runs the website PortuGOAL. ‘He is very open during press conferences and is happy to answer all questions, even the stupid ones, with an informative answer.

‘And he also maintains a remarkably jovial demeanor, even when the pressure is on. He is one of those coaches who fosters an excellent atmosphere within the entire team, and that is undoubtedly the fruit of his communicative approach.

‘I don’t remember ever publicly criticizing any of his players in the five years I’ve been coaching, nor can I remember a single news report about an unhappy player. When things do go wrong for Sporting, which hasn’t happened much under Amorim, he shifts all the attention to himself.

‘He will say things like: ‘We lost because Sporting has a coach who is still inexperienced and learning the trade and who was wrong today.’ Overall, he has a very likeable personality and generally does an excellent job of sidestepping any controversies or arguments with rival managers.”

Sources in Lisbon have suggested that Amorim is loving life at Sporting and that the offer should be ‘perfect’ to tempt him to move abroad, having already held talks with Tottenham when Antonio Conte arrived in the spring of 2023 left.

“I have seen many coaches move to other leagues and not be happier,” he said in an interview with Diario de Noticias last summer. ‘I want to appreciate what I have. I have had contacts with other clubs, Sporting knows, but I always wanted to stay because I like it here.

‘If I ever have to leave here, either because I was pushed out with white handkerchiefs or because I went to another club, that will happen. But because I am doing my part here, I will not open the door and leave it ajar, because I believe Sporting deserves respect.”

Interestingly, Amorim’s managerial career got off to a significant false start. After a playing career of ten years at Benfica and fourteen international matches in Portugal, he started his second life as a coach at the lower club Casa Pia from Lisbon.

But Amorim did not have the necessary coaching badges and was therefore briefly suspended from management and forced to resign. Casa Pia were awarded six points, although they were still promoted that season, a testament to the foundation laid by their new, unlicensed coach.

People close to Amorim suggest that he was furious about this and almost gave up the gig altogether, but he quickly calmed down and set in motion a chain of events that has led to him becoming one of Europe’s most sought-after players, through Braga’s B team and then their senior side.

Amorim’s biggest managerial achievement was leading Sporting to their first league title in 19 years in 2021 and the club triumphed again last season.

“He proved the doubters wrong by making Sporting a recognizable force again,” said European football expert Zach Lowy. ‘They were also obsessed throughout the century, so to end the duopoly of Porto and Benfica and win their first title in 19 years is huge.’

The 39-year-old has seen many star players leave during his time at Sporting, including Manchester City’s Matheus Nunes, Fulham’s Joao Palhinha and Tottenham’s Pedro Porro, but he has consistently built a winning team.

Amorim operates a 3-4-3 system and is said to be stubborn – in a good way – about his tactical approach, never deviating from what he considers the right way to play football. “He is married to the 3-4-3,” Kundert adds.

‘Interestingly it is seen by some as a somewhat defensive formation, with the wing-backs often sitting back to form a five-man defence, and in the title-winning season Sporting’s triumph was certainly based on a watertight defence.

“There are little nuances in the attacking third, but he will never abandon the back three system. The full-backs are often extremely attack-oriented, especially Pedro Porro on the right, who was a fundamental part of Sporting’s attacking game plan under Amorim. But it can also be an extremely offensive system.

Wherever he goes, Amorim would likely demand that his coaching team follow him. One, 29-year-old Carlos Fernandes, has been described as ‘the Mourinho to Bobby Robson of Amorim’. After winning the title the first time, he was winged by his entire team during the post-match press conference.

Amorim is certainly admired by several top clubs across the continent and while he may not be as outspoken as Mourinho, it feels like the Special One 2.0 is on his way to Europe’s elite.