From Porto to the Premier League: How Mourinho's Portuguese Signings Stack Up

Jose Mourinho is preparing to add another Portuguese name to his collection, with Bernardo Silva set to join him at Real Madrid. Throughout his managerial career, the Special One has shown a pronounced preference for recruiting players from his homeland, often dipping into the well of talent represented by his own agents at Gestifute.

His love affair with Portuguese talent began in earnest during his first Chelsea appointment and shows no signs of waning. Here we rank his 14 Portuguese acquisitions for clubs outside Portugal.

14. Nuno Morais (Chelsea)

The defensive midfielder arrived from Penafiel in 2004 alongside Mourinho but barely made a dent on the Premier League, managing just four appearances. He subsequently spent over a decade plying his trade in Cyprus with APOEL.

13. Gedson Fernandes (Tottenham Hotspur)

A loan deal that satisfied nobody. The midfielder arrived with an option to buy valued at more than £40m but never started a Premier League match for Spurs. Upon signing, Fernandes enthused: "All young players want to work with Jose Mourinho because he's one of the best – all of us as players want to stay near the best, so it's fantastic to work with him."

Mourinho, for his part, offered measured support: "I will never be the one to push him or say that I don't want him here." Yet the manager never found sufficient space in his plans for the midfielder, and the 18-month loan was terminated early. He remained Mourinho's sole Portuguese signing at Spurs, with an ambitious pursuit of the superior Bruno Fernandes ultimately coming to nothing.

12. Renato Sanches (Roma)

Sanches managed to resurrect his reputation following his Swansea disaster, enjoying a respectable spell in France. His Roma loan from PSG in summer 2023, however, proved a backward step. He scored on his Serie A debut but that opening appearance lasted just 45 minutes and proved his only league start. Seven separate injuries ravaged his campaign, and Mourinho departed before the season's end. Roma naturally declined to make the move permanent.

11. Ricardo Quaresma (Inter Milan)

An occasionally brilliant maverick whose Inter spell rarely showcased his best. Inter paid over €18m in 2008 to acquire him, and he made an impressive start with a trivela goal on his Serie A debut. Subsequent goals never materialised, and Mourinho grew frustrated with his work-rate. Within four months, Quaresma was loaned out to Chelsea and later named Serie A's worst player that season.

10. Maniche (Chelsea)

A Porto favourite under Mourinho whose Chelsea experience proved considerably less fruitful.

9. Sergio Oliveira (Roma)

A dependable if unremarkable presence in Mourinho's Europa Conference League-winning squad. The midfielder joined on loan from Porto midway through Mourinho's first season and performed adequately without earning a permanent switch. Mourinho opted instead for his customary solution: signing Nemanja Matic.

8. Nelson Semedo (Fenerbahce)

The right-back has reportedly acquitted himself reasonably well since departing Wolves for Fenerbahce in 2025, where he became Mourinho's sole Portuguese recruit. Their partnership proved fleeting, with Mourinho's sacking arriving less than a month after Semedo's arrival.

7. Rui Patricio (Roma)

Roma's goalkeeper search had become farcical. After the Robin Olsen experiment and subsequent disappointments with Pau Lopez, the club turned to Mourinho's Gestifute colleague Patricio in 2021, spending under £10m to bring him from Wolves. His first Serie A season proved excellent, with the keeper ever-present and instrumental in Roma's Conference League triumph. Form deteriorated significantly thereafter, and he lost his starting berth shortly after Mourinho's January 2024 departure.

6. Diogo Dalot (Manchester United)

Eight years on Manchester United's books have yielded mixed results. A loan spell at AC Milan interrupted what has otherwise been a consistent run in the first team over the past five seasons. Hardly spectacular, but nearly 250 appearances from a £19m investment represents respectable value. His form fluctuated during Mourinho's tenure, and another reunion remains possible.

5. Fabio Coentrao (Real Madrid)

Mourinho will harbour hopes that his next Madrid Portuguese signing matches Coentrao's contribution. The left-back arrived from Benfica in 2011 via a part-exchange involving Ezequiel Garay, positioned as competition for Marcelo. He never displaced the Brazilian but served as a capable alternative, making 106 appearances and winning La Liga in Mourinho's record-breaking maiden season.

4. Ricardo Carvalho (Real Madrid)

The centre-back reunited with Mourinho at Madrid after previous stints at Porto and Chelsea. His debut campaign brought 48 appearances and solid performances, though scepticism had greeted his arrival at age 32. Injuries hampered his later seasons, but his initial form vindicated the move.

"I can understand why some criticised the move," Carvalho reflected. "I was 32 and I'd been at Chelsea a long time. I had a physical problem, which started because I was not given time to recover fully. I was out for longer than is normal for a muscular problem. There was pressure, I wanted to play and I got injured again. It was not properly healed and I had a relapse. But I was convinced I'd succeed. I knew I'd play well here."

3. Tiago (Chelsea)

The midfielder featured in over 50 matches during Mourinho's inaugural Chelsea season following his transfer from Benfica. Despite his importance, Chelsea released him after just one year, selling him to Lyon to facilitate his World Cup preparation wishes. Mourinho reflected warmly: "He is a wonderful boy and was a very good player for us. We will miss him – the player and the person."

Years later, Tiago disclosed that Mourinho attempted to re-sign him for his second Chelsea spell.

2. Paulo Ferreira (Chelsea)

The dependable right-back followed Mourinho from Porto in 2004 and became integral to Chelsea's title-winning debut season. Over 200 appearances followed at Stamford Bridge, with Ferreira retiring in the same summer Mourinho returned for his second stint. At his peak, Mourinho regarded Ferreira as the world's finest right-back.

1. Ricardo Carvalho (Chelsea)

Carvalho ultimately emerges as Mourinho's Portuguese signing of supreme consequence. The centre-back transferred from Porto alongside Ferreira in 2004, delivering six years of consistency at Stamford Bridge before reuniting with Mourinho in Madrid. Their Chelsea partnership produced occasional friction, yet mutual respect clearly endured.

Carvalho accumulated 210 Chelsea appearances, claiming three Premier League titles alongside Ferreira. His trajectory epitomises Mourinho's most successful Portuguese recruitment: a player who understood the manager's demands and delivered the goods consistently.