When Mourinho was Barcelona's favorite son!

According to "Varzesh 3", This nickname came from a famous television commercial featuring a well-dressed, handsome man in a sharp suit. Mourinho not only didn't mind this naming, but sometimes imitated the model's movements from that commercial among reporters and had a very warm relationship with the Barcelona press corps.

Mourinho arrived in Barcelona in 1996 in turbulent circumstances alongside Bobby Robson; right after the controversial sacking of Johan Cruyff. At 33 years old, having previously worked in Portugal as Robson's translator, he considered his time at Barca a major step toward establishing himself as a technical assistant. Although he hated simply being called a "translator", it wasn't long before his football knowledge and modern approach won over the dressing room.

While Robson operated in a traditional manner and his habit of watching full match videos tired out the players, Mourinho captured their attention by providing precise and direct analyses. His smaller age gap with the team's stars led the players to look up to him like an older brother.

Mourinho built close relationships with tactically astute players such as Pep Guardiola, Luis Enrique, Abelardo, and Luís Figo. He was one of the first assistants to watch matches from the VIP stand rather than the bench to get a better view of the pitch and convey tactical points at halftime.

Mourinho's popularity and integration in Catalonia grew rapidly, and he completely immersed himself in the region's culture. After Robson left and Louis van Gaal arrived, it was expected that the Dutch staff would replace Mourinho; however, upon seeing José's tactical capabilities, Van Gaal decided to keep him. Van Gaal's trust reached a point where, in March 1998 in the semifinal of the Catalan Cup, he allowed Mourinho to sit on the bench as the head coach of Barcelona for the very first time.

An interesting historical note: Xavi Hernández made his official debut for the first team under Mourinho, and the only goal Barca conceded in that match was scored by Tito Vilanova—the very person who, 13 years later, would face Mourinho during one of the most tense periods of his coaching career.