Jose Mourinho, the successful football manager, has a reputation for not lasting more than three seasons at a club. Recently, Roma decided not to renew Mourinho’s contract after a difficult start to the season. This pattern of initial success followed by failure in the third season is not new for Mourinho.
Currently, Roma is in tenth place in Serie A, with Mourinho averaging 1.38 points per game this season, a significant drop from last season’s average of 1.66 points per game. Similar struggles occurred in Mourinho’s previous clubs. At Manchester United, he had a successful first season, winning the Europa League and League Cup. In his second season, Mourinho improved with a second-place finish in the Premier League. However, his third season saw a decline, and he left the club after just 17 games with a points per game average of 1.53.
The same pattern occurred during Mourinho’s second spell at Chelsea. In his second season, he won the Premier League title, but in his third season, the team struggled, and he left the club after just 16 games with an average of 0.94 points per game. Even during Mourinho’s first spell at Chelsea, there were signs of a third-season curse, with his points per game average dropping from 2.5 to 2.18.
This trend is not limited to Mourinho’s time in England. At Real Madrid, Mourinho had a strong first season, averaging 2.42 points per game. He then won Madrid their first league title in four years in his second season with 2.63 points per game. However, in his third season, Madrid’s performance declined, and Mourinho managed just 2.24 points per game.
While Mourinho’s successes in the early stages of his tenure at a club are undeniable, his struggles in the third season raise questions about his ability to maintain long-term success. His tenure at Roma is another example of this pattern. Despite starting strong and winning the UEFA Europa Conference League, the team’s poor start to the new season has led to Mourinho’s contract not being renewed.
It is worth noting that Mourinho’s departure from clubs is not always solely due to on-field performance. Arguments and disagreements with club owners, such as Roman Abramovich at Chelsea, have also played a role in his departures. Nonetheless, Mourinho’s pattern of third-season struggles persists and continues to raise doubts about his ability to sustain success over the long term.
