Jose Mourinho: Why does Benfica manager love Newcastle?

Barcelona bosses initially wanted someone with connections to the club to be Sir Bobby’s assistant, but he insisted it had to be Mourinho.

For good reason.

Sir Bobby was coming into a club divided after the departure of legendary manager Johan Cruyff and needed someone he trusted implicitly, who could help him get his message across in another foreign language.

By this point, Mourinho’s role had long since evolved.

He helped out on the training ground. He produced reconnaissance dossiers on the opposition which Sir Bobby described as the best he had ever seen. Above all, he was used to dealing with international players.

In a trying environment, the two men once again complemented each other, as midfielder Guillermo Amor explained.

“They managed to create a good atmosphere and form a very strong team,” he said.

“Jose had more contact with the players due to his language skills and his age, which was very similar to ours.

“He had great respect for Bobby and Bobby had great confidence in everything José could do on the field and in the locker room.”

Sir Bobby went on to win the European Cup Winners’ Cup, Copa Del Rey and Spanish Cup in what turned out to be his final season with Mourinho before the Barcelona manager was named general manager and replaced by Louis van Gaal.

Mourinho told Sir Bobby he wanted to leave out of loyalty, but his mentor convinced him to stay, having already informed van Gaal of the merits of keeping his assistant.

Had Mourinho not spent three more years at the Camp Nou under van Gaal, the Portuguese might well have followed Sir Bobby to Newcastle in 1999.

Instead, he went it alone, but Sir Bobby’s influence endures.

To this day, Mourinho cherishes those moments the couple’s families shared in Sitges, the meals Sir Bobby never let him pay for and the life lessons he taught him.

This is why the 62-year-old considers himself a “little magpie”.

“The club knows how much love and respect I have for them,” he told CBS earlier this month. “I learned this love from Mr. Robson.”