5 players who you didn't know played under Jose Mourinho

Jose Mourinho has been in management for over twenty years. While some might have reservations about his style of play in recent years, it is indisputable that the Portuguese is one of the greatest managers in the game. With over 20 trophies won in ten different managerial appointments, Jose Mourinho is one of the most decorated managers in the game.

After serving as assistant manager to Bobby Robson and Louis van Gaal for seven years at Porto and Barcelona respectively, Mourinho eventually began his own managerial career in September 2000 at Benfica. He, however, resigned from his post after just 11 games in charge after falling out with the newly elected Benfica president.

He remained in Portugal and was appointed manager of Uniao de Leiria ahead of the 2001-02 season, where his successes with the team earned him a move to Portuguese giants Porto six months later. Mourinho spent two and a half seasons at Porto and won six trophies, including the UEFA Champions League trophy in his final season at the club.

Mourinho moved to the Premier League and joined Chelsea in the 2003-04 campaign under new owner Roman Abramovich. The Portuguese went on to win six trophies at the London club over the next three years while also setting numerous records. The self-acclaimed 'Special One' set the record for most points achieved in a Premier League season as well as the fewest goals conceded in a league campaign. The latter record still stands to this day.

Jose Mourinho joined Italian side Inter Milan in 2008 and spent two hugely successful years at the club. He won the Italian Super Cup and Serie A in his first season at the club before winning a historic treble in his second and final campaign there.

The Portuguese then moved to Spain to join La Liga giants Real Madrid, where he spent three years at the club, winning three trophies before returning to former club Chelsea in 2013. Mourinho spent two and a half seasons at Stamford Bridge and won two trophies, including a third Premier League title, in the 2014-15 season.

Jose Mourinho remained in the Premier League after his departure from Chelsea. He joined their rivals Manchester United, where he spent another two and a half years and won three trophies with the Red Devils.

Mourinho took a one-year hiatus from coaching before joining Tottenham Hotspur in November 2019. He was sacked in April 2021 but did not have to spend too much time away from the dugout, as Serie A side Roma secured the services of the 58-year-old manager ahead of the 2021-22 season.

Jose Mourinho has achieved much success in his managerial career with numerous talented players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Didier Drogba, Wesley Sneijder, Wayne Rooney and Frank Lampard, to mention a few. There have also been some lesser-known players who have featured under Mourinho.

On that note, let's take a look at five players who you might not know played under Jose Mourinho.

#5 Fabinho

Fabinho once played under Jose Mourinho.

The Liverpool midfielder is widely remembered for being an integral part of the AS Monaco side that won the Ligue 1 in the 2016-17 season. Fabinho, however, made his debut in Europe's top five leagues under Jose Mourinho in 2013.

The Brazil international began his professional career at Portuguese club Rio Ave before he was loaned out to Real Madrid Castilla in 2012. After impressing with the Real Madrid B side, for whom he made 30 appearances that campaign, he was promoted to the senior team by Jose Mourinho in a La Liga game against Malaga.

Coming on for Fabio Coentrao in the 76th minute, Fabinho made his debut for Real Madrid in Jose Mourinho's final season in charge at the club. The Brazilian played at right back on the occasion and provided an assist for Real Madrid's final goal of the game.

Fabinho returned to Rio Ave at the end of his loan spell and was loaned out to French side Monaco, where he spent two years before signing a permanent deal in 2015. He spent three more years at Monaco before signing for Premier League giants Liverpool in 2018 in a €45 million move.

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#4 Marko Arnautovic

Marko Arnautovic played under Jose Mourinho.

The Austrian striker spent six years in the Premier League, playing for Stoke City and West Ham and faced off against Jose Mourinho-managed sides. Arnautovic, however, played under the Portuguese in the 2009-10 season while he was in charge of Inter Milan.

Marco Arnautovic had joined Inter Milan on a season-long loan in 2009 from Dutch side Twente. He was one of nine players brought into the club by Jose Mourinho during Inter's treble-winning campaign.

The Austrian, though, was largely unused by Jose Mourinho, as he appeared just three times all season. He failed to make the matchday squad for most of the season and was an unused substitute at other times.

Despite joining Inter Milan in 2009, Arnautovic made his debut for the Serie A side only the next year, coming on for the final two minutes of a league game against Chievo Verona. He came on at half-time in the next league game against Siena. His final appearance for the Nerazzurri came in April 2010 as he came on in the 81st minute of Inter's home game against Atalanta.

The striker returned to Twente at the end of the campaign and signed for Bundesliga side Werder Bremen on a permanent deal worth about €6 million. He spent three years in the German side before moving to Stoke City in 2013.

Marko Arnautovic spent four seasons at Stoke City and scored 26 goals for the Potters before joining West Ham for a club-record €22 million transfer. The Austria international spent just two seasons at the London club before he joined Chinese side Shanghai Port in 2019.

#3 Scott Parker

Scott Parker

The Fulham boss began his playing career at Charlton Athletic. After seven years at the club, he joined Chelsea in January 2004, six months before Jose Mourinho's arrival.

Parker had struggled for game time in his debut season at Chelsea, there was competition for places with Claude Makelele and Frank Lampard. The then 24-year-old Parker made just 17 appearances in all competitions.

After Mourinho's appointment, Parker found his playing time even further depleted, as the Portuguese manager brought in midfielder Tiago from Benfica in the summer. Parker made just 11 appearances the entire season, six fewer than he did in his first six months at Stamford Bridge.

Due to limited playing time, Parker left Chelsea in 2005 and joined fellow Premier League side Newcastle United, where he quickly became an integral part of the team. He went on to make 73 appearances for the Magpies over the next two seasons before joining West Ham in a €10 million move.

Parker spent four seasons at West Ham before joining Tottenham Hotspur after the Hammers endured relegation. He left Tottenham in 2013 to join fellow London club Fulham, where he played out the rest of his professional career.

Parker was appointed manager of Fulham in 2019.

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#2 Claudio Pizarro

Claudio Pizarro

The Peruvian legend achieved much success during his playing career, particularly in the Bundesliga, where he won numerous trophies and set many records. The only blip in Pizarro's glittering career was perhaps his 2007-08 season at Chelsea.

After six impressive years at Bayern Munich and eight in the Bundesliga, Claudio Pizarro moved to the Premier League and joined Jose Mourinho's Chelsea on a free transfer. His time at Stamford Bridge started well, as he scored a goal on his Premier League debut, scoring Chelsea's first goal in their 3-2 win over Birmingham City.

Mourinho was, however, dismissed from his post very early into the new season before he was replaced by Avram Grant. Pizarro had featured in four of six games under Mourinho in that campaign, starting twice. However, the Peruvian striker was not in the plans of the new manager and only managed another two league starts till the end of the season, scoring one goal.

Pizarro returned to Germany at the end of the campaign and re-joined Werder Bremen on a season-long loan. He regained his mojo with the Bundesliga side, as he scored 28 goals in all competitions, prompting Werder Bremen to sign him permanently. He spent three more years at Bremen before joining Bayern Munich once again.

After leaving Bayern Munich, Pizarro had a spell at Koln before he retired in 2020.

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#1 Nuno Espirito Santo

Nuno Espirito Santo

The former Wolverhampton Wanderers manager is the oldest and only player on this list to have played under Jose Mourinho for more than a season. A goalkeeper during his playing days, Nuno Espirito Santo featured for Porto between 2002 and 2004.

He signed for Porto under Jose Mourinho in a €3 million move from Deportivo de La Coruna. He went on to appear 24 times for the Portuguese giants, playing 13 times in the league. The goalkeeper won eight trophies at Porto before he joined Dynamo Moscow in January 2004. He returned to Porto in 2007 and remained there before retiring in 2010, winning five more trophies.

Santo began his coaching career at Rio Ave in 2012 and led the Portuguese side to their first-ever European competition in his second season in charge. He moved to La Liga side Valencia in 2014 and spent two years there before returning to Porto as a manager in 2016.

The Portuguese joined English side Wolverhampton Wanderers a year later and led the club to a Premier League return after a six-year absence. He left the club after the 2020-21 season and is on course to replace Carlo Ancelotti at Everton.