One of the world's most exciting young coaches, Villas-Boas firmly arrived on the scene in his first season at FC Porto, when he won the treble and took the team to an unbeaten league campaign. However, the young coach resigned the summer after, with Chelsea favourites to snap him up.
- Birthplace: Porto, Portugal
- Previous Clubs: British Virgin Islands, Academica de Coimbra, Porto
- Honours: Portuguese Primeira Liga: 2011; Portuguese Cup: 2011; Portuguese Super Cup: 2010; UEFA Europa League: 2011
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Andre Villas-Boas celebrates winning the Europa League
Villas-Boas' career as a player never got off the ground. Indeed, he had plans to become a football reporter but a break at FC Porto came courtesy of neighbour Sir Bobby Robson, who invited the 16-year-old to training while in charge in the mid-90s before later offering him a job in the club's youth set-up. The coach has insisted that Robson was key to his development, maintaining that: "He was decisive in the love I feel for this profession and for the doors he opened for me at that age. I owe him." Villas-Boas' English language skills - his grandmother is from Cheadle, near Manchester - saw him impress in Portugal and he gained his UEFA C coaching licence at the age of 17, before moving to become the head coach of the British Virgin Islands national team at only 21. Moving back to Porto to take charge of the Under-19 side, he picked up his B and A licences and would later be promoted to study under another young manager named Jose Mourinho as his assistant. Learning from a master, he was a key component of the club's success in claiming the UEFA Champions League 2003-04 and was labelled Mourinho's "eyes and ears" by the man himself. Therefore, it was no surprise when Villas-Boas followed Mourinho to Chelsea and Inter Milan. At Chelsea, his role was to compile Opponent Observation Department (OOD) reports - basically a secret service-style dossier on Chelsea's rivals, and usually delivered as a DVD presentation. However, a year after Mourinho had taken on a new chapter of his career at Inter in 2009-10, Villas-Boas took the decision to cut the cord and try and make it on his own. He soon found a job with in the Portuguese Primeira Liga with Academica de Coimbra, filling a vacancy created by Rogerio Goncalves. Taking over a club in crisis, he was so effective that the side finished 11th that season and also reached the Portuguese League Cup semi-finals. The team's attacking style gained praise and he was linked with a move to Sporting Lisbon, before he moved back to Porto again to take on the manager's role after the departure of Jesualdo Ferreira. His first title arrived when Porto beat Benfica 2-0 in the Portuguese Supercup and more were to follow as one of the most impressive debut seasons in recent memory also saw him take the Portuguese Primeira Liga (unbeaten), UEFA Europa League and Portuguese Cup titles. However, his head turned by interest from Chelsea, Villas-Boas resigned in the summer and, with a release clause of 15 million euros needing to be met, it was only a matter of time before he joined one of Europe's top clubs. Strengths: A strategic thinker who has learned from the very best in his short career, his motivation and attention to detail are unparalleled. As humble as they come, he is also an excellent and inclusive man-manager. Weaknesses: Yet to be tested in the top leagues of Europe, he may lack the dominating personality that has made Mourinho so successful. Career high: Clinching the treble with FC Porto in 2010-11, which included the UEFA Europa League trophy. Career low: His time at the British Virgin Islands was not a successful one, although he was only 21 at the time. Tactics: Almost obsessed with tactics, he holds special 30-minute tactical teach-ins the day after every match - plus sessions after each training stint. He likes a lone centre-forward, with an attacking 4-3-3 in the shape of the formation Mourinho employed in his early days at Chelsea. Against stronger opponents, the wide players tuck in and create a solid 4-1-4-1 system, but counter attacking is still a key part of the philosophy. There is also great emphasis placed on a team ethic and he has been quoted as saying: "If a midfielder does not fight for me, he does not have a place in the team." Quotes: "People focus a lot on the work of the manager and I don't see it that way. I don't see myself as a one-man show. Football isn't won by one person but by collective competence. It is the quality of the players and the structure of the club.'' Andre Villas-Boas, May 2011. Trivia: After winning the Europa League, he became the youngest manager ever to win a European competition, at 33 years and 213 days of age.-soccernet
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