Being a leder, according to José Mourinho We met the Special One

On June 2, 2004 José Mourinho changed football history forever. He did so while sitting at a table, unfazed by camera flashes and journalists’ questions. It was the day of his official presentation as the new manager of Chelsea, and in that context the Portuguese coach coined the phrase that still defines his public image more than 20 years later: "Please don't call me arrogant, but I'm European champion and I think I'm a special one".

Mourinho has been able to defend and cultivate that aura of the Special One, earning attention far beyond the world of football. The latest example comes from Prima Assicurazioni: the insurance company has chosen him as the face of its new multi-platform campaign “Tu, Prima”. The official launch of this partnership took place in the elegant setting of DAZI Milano. It was there that we met Mourinho and had the chance to better understand what being a leader means to him. Or rather, what makes someone a leader.

"It takes a certain personality," Mou tells us. "You must feel comfortable with it. You must feel comfortable with the responsibilities of leading a group. I want to believe that it has something to do with DNA. Some people are born leaders. But there's another part to it, too: you learn how to do it through study, experience and the evolution of your career."

A leader must also be a winner, or at least be able to give the right weight to victories. For this reason, when we ask Mourinho whether it is better to win 1-0 or 4-3, he replies without the slightest hesitation: "It’s better to win. If you win 1-0, it’s probably because your defense was solid. If you win 4-3, it’s probably because the defense was weak, but the attack, on the other hand, was strong. A win is always a win. But every victory brings with it something that can be improved."