sport news Inside the mind of The Special One - Mk II: Europe's most-wanted manager Ruben ... trends now
Madness.
That was the word that filled the conversations and the back pages when Sporting Clube De Portugal announced they were taking a risk on a young coach from Braga, only four years ago.
Why had the capital club, one of Portugal's Big Three along with Porto and Lisbon rivals Benfica, paid more than €10million in compensation, at the time the third-highest fee ever paid for a manager, for a 35-year-old with less than six months of top-level experience? Welcome to the fast lane, Ruben Amorim.
Liverpool's No 1 managerial target Ruben Amorim idolises fellow countryman Jose Mourinho
The duo, pictured during a pre-season friendly in July 2022, are in regular conversation
Back then, 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 dubbed the decision to hire rookie Amorim as 'loucura'.
Four years on, the only madness around Amorim is that he is not yet at one of Europe's Continental giants. He will be soon.
He has scored high on data tests led by Liverpool and will almost certainly get invited to interview for the soon-to-be vacant manager's job.
In a recruitment process aided by head of research Will Spearman, a former Harvard physics PHD student, Amorim will have excelled on expected goals metrics (xG) and data shows he is overperforming with a limited budget compared to Benfica and Porto.
His style is different to Jurgen Klopp's but fits the match in their desire for an exciting, attacking philosophy. Mail Sport understands the Reds have had scouts at several Sporting matches this year.
After Liverpool conceded defeat on hiring Xabi Alonso on Thursday afternoon - internally, it appears the Reds never had any confidence they could lure him out of Bayer Leverkusen this summer - it has catapulted Amorim to becoming the frontrunner for the Anfield hotseat.
But Liverpool are not the only team keen on Amorim. Bayern Munich need to replace Thomas Tuchel, plus Xavi is departing Barcelona. Chelsea and Manchester United would be in the market if their current managers were to leave.
In a fascinating continent-wide scrap for new managers, whoever does hire Amorim will have to pay a hefty compensation fee which Portuguese sources tell Mail Sport would be a world-record figure for a coach. So… what is so special about the new special one?
Amorim was asked if Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola was his reference point and, while he did say the Catalan was the best current coach in the world, he answered by saying: 'My reference has always been Mourinho.'
He attended a coaching course at the Faculty of Human Kinetics, University of Lisbon which had sessions led by Mourinho alongside Antonio Veloso, who won seven league titles with Benfica in the 1980s.
The pair stayed in touch, though the relationship is said to have evolved away from a master-and-apprentice hierarchy. When Amorim's Sporting knocked Arsenal out of the Europa League in 2023, his compatriot was quick to WhatsApp him a congratulatory message.
'The old and the new Mourinho are still in the competition,' joked the then-Roma boss. When quizzed on the pair's similarities, Amorim said of his idol: 'Mourinho is one of a kind. There won't be another Mourinho. Mourinho is unique.'
Those comments got the senses tingling with Chelsea fans who are still not sold on Mauricio Pochettino. Manchester United would probably be keen if the new owners were to part company with Ten Hag. But he is now the No 1 contender to replace Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool.
Xabi Alonso was seen as the leading candidate to replace Jurgen Klopp but that is not the case
Amorim (left) is pictured playing for Benfica against Arsenal at the Emirates in August 2011
Everyone who knows Amorim and his journey well, from former colleagues to Portuguese football experts, cite his unique tactics and motivational speeches. But above all, they talk about his personality.
'The best word to describe Ruben is genuine,' says one former colleague who asked to remain anonymous as he works for another club. 'He values relationships, makes everyone in the building feel heard from the 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, not below him. But his best (trait) is communicating, making everyone feel united and trusted.'
There is a social media page dedicated as a countdown to Amorim's next press conference. Like his idol Jose Mourinho, Amorim thinks that matches do not start when the two teams walk
