Those at Barcelona’s top brass initially wanted someone with club connections to become Sir Bobby’s assistant, but he insisted it had to be Mourinho.
For good reason.
Sir Bobby walked into a divided club following the departure of legendary manager Johan Cruyff and needed someone he trusted implicitly and who could help deliver his message in another foreign language.
By this stage, Mourinho’s role had long evolved.
He helped out on the training field. He produced scouting dossiers on the opposition which Sir Bobby rated as the best he had ever seen. Crucially, he was used to dealing with international players.
In a test environment, the two complemented each other again, as midfielder Guillermo Amor explained.
“They managed to create a good atmosphere and form a very strong team,” he said.
“Jose had more contact with the players because of his fluent language and his age, which was very similar to ours.
“He had a lot of respect for Bobby and Bobby had a lot of confidence in everything Jose could do on the field and in the locker room.”
Sir Bobby went on to win the European Cup Winners’ Cup, the Copa Del Rey and the Spanish Cup in what turned out to be his final season with Mourinho before the Barcelona manager was moved to the position of general manager and replaced by Louis van Gaal.
Mourinho told Sir Bobby he wanted to leave out of loyalty, but his mentor convinced him to stay, having already informed Van Gaal of the benefits of keeping his assistant.
Had Mourinho not spent another three years at Camp Nou under Van Gaal, the Portuguese could well have followed Sir Bobby to Newcastle in 1999.
Instead, he did it alone, but Sir Bobby’s influence lives on.
To this day, Mourinho cherishes the moments the couple’s families shared in Sitges, the meals Sir Bobby never let him pay for and the lessons he taught him about life.
That’s why the 62-year-old considers himself a ‘little magpie’.
“The club there knows how much love and respect I have for them,” he told CBS earlier this month. “I learned that love from Mr. Robson.”
