Andre Villas-Boas took less than two year to step out of Jose Mourinho's shoadow and into the footballing spotlight.
Having spent several years in the inner-sanctum of The Special One Mourinho at Porto, Chelsea and Inter Milan, Villas-Boas decided to go his own way when he took the coaching job at Coimbra in October 2009.
After guiding the club from bottom to 11th in the Portuguese league, he was offered the coaching position at Porto last summer and his first success came almost immediately in the domestic Super Cup.
An unbeaten run to the Portuguese league title with 27 wins and three draws was a major statement before Villas-Boas at age 33 became the youngest coach to lift a European title on Wednesday, 1-0 over domestic rivals Braga in the Europa League final in Dublin.
On Sunday he can achieve a title treble with Porto in the Portuguese cup final against Vitoria Guimaraes.
While spending years with Mourinho, Villas-Boas also credited two other coaches to have helped him in his young career, saying he enjoys Pep Guardiola's style of play with Barcelona, and thanking the late Bobby Robson for starting him on a coaching career.
"As a 16-year-old, I approached Bobby Robson, who was then coaching Porto and living in the same apartment as I was. I spoke to him about Porto and he took me to their coaching sessions," Villas-Boas said.
"Bobby was decisive for me. For him to respect a 16-year-old who approached him and then take him to training sessions is remarkable. Only a person so open minded as Robson would have take onboard a young boy who approached him in the garage."
After learning the ropes with Robson, so to say, Villas-Boas had a brief stint as national team coach of the British Virgin Islands.
"I think they thought I was older and I was fired after a 9-0 defeat against Bermudas," he recalled.
But he has not looked back since and he is know looking forward to playing in next season's Champions League.
Given the strength of the team, it is not out of the question that Villas-Boas can emulate Mourinho, who won the 2004 Champions League with Porto after lifting the then UEFA Cup the previous year.
However, Villas-Boas played down the expectations.
"We must not kid ourselves, we are not amongst those clubs yet. Our goal must be to get out of the group phase and then we can dream of more. But we have to be realistic," he said.
Villas-Boas is being touted as a possible Juventus coach for next season, but said he was very happy to stay with Porto.
"They are a great club, have a fantastic president and have an excellent structure," he said. "I have no reason to leave. And I also have a huge buy-out clause in my contract, so it will be difficult for other clubs."
Unlike his former mentor Mourinho, Villas-Boas shuns the limelight.
He gives no interviews, speaks only at press conferences and keeps on pointing out that it is really the players who make the team.
Braga coach Domingos Paciencia agreed, and said that Porto's quality team has helped Villas-Boas to almost instant coaching success.
"It is a fact that the Porto coach has excellent players and it is much more difficult to coach in the second or third division with players who are not as good," Paciencia said.
However, having already amassed more trophies than years coaching at the highest level, Villas-Boas could well be ready for the next stage of an already remarkable career.
Having spent several years in the inner-sanctum of The Special One Mourinho at Porto, Chelsea and Inter Milan, Villas-Boas decided to go his own way when he took the coaching job at Coimbra in October 2009.
After guiding the club from bottom to 11th in the Portuguese league, he was offered the coaching position at Porto last summer and his first success came almost immediately in the domestic Super Cup.
An unbeaten run to the Portuguese league title with 27 wins and three draws was a major statement before Villas-Boas at age 33 became the youngest coach to lift a European title on Wednesday, 1-0 over domestic rivals Braga in the Europa League final in Dublin.
On Sunday he can achieve a title treble with Porto in the Portuguese cup final against Vitoria Guimaraes.
While spending years with Mourinho, Villas-Boas also credited two other coaches to have helped him in his young career, saying he enjoys Pep Guardiola's style of play with Barcelona, and thanking the late Bobby Robson for starting him on a coaching career.
"As a 16-year-old, I approached Bobby Robson, who was then coaching Porto and living in the same apartment as I was. I spoke to him about Porto and he took me to their coaching sessions," Villas-Boas said.
"Bobby was decisive for me. For him to respect a 16-year-old who approached him and then take him to training sessions is remarkable. Only a person so open minded as Robson would have take onboard a young boy who approached him in the garage."
After learning the ropes with Robson, so to say, Villas-Boas had a brief stint as national team coach of the British Virgin Islands.
"I think they thought I was older and I was fired after a 9-0 defeat against Bermudas," he recalled.
But he has not looked back since and he is know looking forward to playing in next season's Champions League.
Given the strength of the team, it is not out of the question that Villas-Boas can emulate Mourinho, who won the 2004 Champions League with Porto after lifting the then UEFA Cup the previous year.
However, Villas-Boas played down the expectations.
"We must not kid ourselves, we are not amongst those clubs yet. Our goal must be to get out of the group phase and then we can dream of more. But we have to be realistic," he said.
Villas-Boas is being touted as a possible Juventus coach for next season, but said he was very happy to stay with Porto.
"They are a great club, have a fantastic president and have an excellent structure," he said. "I have no reason to leave. And I also have a huge buy-out clause in my contract, so it will be difficult for other clubs."
Unlike his former mentor Mourinho, Villas-Boas shuns the limelight.
He gives no interviews, speaks only at press conferences and keeps on pointing out that it is really the players who make the team.
Braga coach Domingos Paciencia agreed, and said that Porto's quality team has helped Villas-Boas to almost instant coaching success.
"It is a fact that the Porto coach has excellent players and it is much more difficult to coach in the second or third division with players who are not as good," Paciencia said.
However, having already amassed more trophies than years coaching at the highest level, Villas-Boas could well be ready for the next stage of an already remarkable career.
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