Mourinho Review
Director: Joe Pearlman
Date Created: 2026-08-11 18:34
2.5
Mourinho Review: Directed by Joe Pearlman, the three-part Netflix documentary series looks at the career and legacy of one of football’s most controversial and successful managers, José Mourinho. The documentary features new interviews with André Villas-Boas, Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard, Iker Casillas, John Terry, Eden Hazard, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Sir Alex Ferguson, Luis Figo, Javier Zanetti, Samuel Eto’o and several other players, coaches and figures who crossed paths with José.
Mourinho Review
José Mourinho has been one of those individuals from the world of football who seem to make you partake in an argument even before you finish discussing him. You can either admire the way he manages to make his teams win, or you detest his arrogant nature and the way he is engaged in conflicts all the time. This makes him a fascinating personality for a documentary, owing to the fact that there is a lot more to him than just his trophies.
The Netflix docuseries Mourinho starts with the ascension of José and the story of his success at Porto, where José progresses from an unknown manager to a Champions League-winning manager in 2004. After that, the film goes on to chronicle his first successful stint at Chelsea, the time he spent with Inter Milan, the Real Madrid period, and the more complex later periods of his career. And truly, that’s where Mourinho shines.
Seeing the back-story of some of his greatest triumphs is absolutely enjoyable. In the documentary, one gets to see how José knew his players and how he knew precisely how to get them to believe that they are a part of something much greater than themselves. John Terry, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba speak of him with the sort of respect that makes it clear why his approach was so successful. For them, Mourinho was more than just a coach who stood by the sidelines.
This particular feature of his managerial style is perhaps the most interesting one that comes up in the Netflix documentary Mourinho. José understood the psychology of the game almost as well as he understood tactics. The ability to create the mentality of “us against everybody” and the results that mentality yielded during the time is something really fascinating.
However, at the same time, it is where I felt like Netflix’s Mourinho was being way too safe. There are numerous accomplishments of José that get plenty of attention. The success that he had with Porto in the Champions League, dominating years at Chelsea, the treble at Inter and his clashes with Barcelona are covered very thoroughly. His second stint at Stamford Bridge with Inter was especially interesting as José shared that it was partially done out of the desire for revenge towards Roman Abramovich following his dismissal from Chelsea.
There are also some very interesting accounts of his interaction with his players and his rather odd motivational techniques. Some of these seem hard to believe today, especially those that talk about how he used to antagonise or ignore certain players in order to get some kind of a response.
However, despite the fact that the Netflix Mourinho documentary highlights the dark side of José, it doesn’t go into sufficient detail. We get to witness the clashes with referees, journalists, opposing teams and rival coaches. We recall all the controversial incidents and the aggressive personality. However, most of the time, the documentary seems to stop just where I want it to continue.
Mourinho’s second Chelsea tenure, his Manchester United stint, his time at Spurs, Roma and Fenerbahçe get glossed over or not looked into enough. Particularly, Tottenham was ripe for providing one of the most interesting segments in the entire documentary. It was a time when it seemed as if Mourinho’s tactics were starting to lose some of their old potency, and that should have made for an interesting discussion.
However, the documentary focuses far more on what Mourinho accomplished rather than analysing why it got harder for him to achieve it. I think that in this sense, this is the greatest failing of Mourinho. We see a documentary of a man who has been in control of his public image for many years, and that control is still in place.
There are times when the mask slips away. The way he talks about his father, his modest playing career, and his place in football reveals some of the insecurities lying beneath his self-assurance. This is shown in one of the most touching scenes, when Mourinho becomes visibly upset and unwilling to reveal his problem.
This particular scene has made me regret that the documentary did not devote enough attention to this aspect of Mourinho. There are also some glimpses into his family life, and Mourinho confessing that his family may be having fun without him. It is one of those rare instances where the documentary is not just about trophies and football competitions but about the man himself.
The documentary itself almost admits the issue. Mourinho claims that people care about his career rather than his childhood, but I really believe that knowing the man would have made his career more intriguing. Why does he have to win so much? Where does he get all this defensive attitude? Why does he always create relationships that break up after some time? Why has that same formula which once made him almost invincible stopped working for him? These were the questions that I wanted Mourinho to answer.
Netflix Mourinho Review: Summing Up
Some aspects of the docuseries Mourinho were very enjoyable for me, such as the anecdotes about his best teams and interviews with players who obviously adore him. It is impossible to deny that Mourinho has had a remarkable career, and the documentary successfully reminds the audience of all his influence on modern football. As a documentary, however, I would have wanted something else apart from a highlight reel with the rare moment of insight into his world. Access to amazing people and an even more amazing subject, who has been through many dramatic moments in football, is not utilised enough.
