Jose Mourinho’s arrival at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday evening was always going to be seen as a homecoming.
The two-time Chelsea manager is still warmly remembered in west London, despite his two shock departures, and defection to derby rivals Tottenham later on in his heavily decorated managerial career. For some Blues fans, when the side is going through a difficult patch, Mourinho’s name might even be floated as a head coach who can get the team back to winning ways.
But as much as his Champions League visit to the capital with new club Benfica will be meaningful in a sporting sense, for Mourinho, it will feel like a literal return home, after the 62-year-old and his family have made their lives in London.
Since first moving from his native Portugal in 2004, Mourinho and his young family have stayed loyal to London despite the numerous job changes which have taken the manager to Madrid, Milan, Rome, Manchester and Turkey.
Here, Mail Sport runs the rule over Mourinho and his two children Jose Jnr and Matilde’s connection to the city – and how it sparked the foundation of their family empire.
Pricey Belgravia pad his property portfolio’s standout
Having netted an estimated £80million-plus from being sacked from jobs alone, Mourinho has the properties to match.
But home base in the capital for decades has been a townhouse in upmarket Belgravia, close to Chelsea’s Sloane Square, which Mourinho initially purchased for £6.5million.
The former Blues boss has lived in Belgravia since his first move to the capital two decades ago
Jose Mourinho and his family – including children Jose Jnr and Matilde – have made London their base since his first move to Chelsea (pictured in 2005)
However, due to the steep rise in property prices in the capital over the intervening years, at last estimate the property was likely worth in the region of £25million.
As well as featuring seven bedrooms, the house also comes with a drawing room, a roof terrace, a media room, and a home gym.
Mourinho’s wife Matilde ‘Tami’ Faria lived with their children in the house throughout his tenure at Manchester United – during which time the manager chose to lodge at the Lowry Hotel to the tune of £600 per night – and Mourinho later returned to join them when he accepted the head coach position at Tottenham.
But before the move, the seven-bedroom house came under siege in 2016, when a burglar tried to break in as Mourinho watched the European Championship final between Portugal and France on television.
Cabor Roman was grabbed outside the former Chelsea boss’ home after trying to smash his way into the basement.
A Portuguese maid spotted him while doing some ironing and a security guard then stepped in.
The Portuguese manager is also thought to own another house in nearby Chelsea, a stone’s throw from Stamford Bridge itself.
‘My house will always be 200 metres from the (Chelsea) stadium and I want to keep listening to the sound of happiness and success,’ Mourinho alluded in a 2022 interview, perhaps hinting at a house closer to the Fulham Road-based ground.
The 62-year-old initially bought the pricey pad for £6.5m but the value has more than doubled
Mourinho also owns a lavish family home close to where he grew up in Setubal, Portugal
In addition to his homes in London, Mourinho also owns a family home in Portugal in the region where he grew up, Setubal.
The lush villa in the parish of Azeitao is a frequent family hub, with daughter Mathilde often sharing photos on social media from holidays spent by the dramatic Portuguese coast line.
The family home was also the location of Matilde’s wedding to property consultant Danny Graham in October last year.
Mourinho is also believed to have a house near Lake Como in Italy.
Nepo-baby daughter’s Chelsea townhouse
After studying at London College of Fashion, Matilde has continued to live in the capital, splitting her time between England and her native Portugal.
But when spending time in London, the 28-year-old jewellery designer has an enviable place to call home.
Matilde lives a townhouse in the exclusive Chelsea Harbour neighbourhood, and undertook a full house renovation in 2022, showing off the results in an article in Country & Town House a year later.
Among the pricey pieces that Matilde has invested in are an Ettore Sottsass Ultrafragola mirror worth an estimated £6,670, and a Pierre Paulin Alpha sofa in her drawing room.
Matilde and her husband Danny Graham have lived in her Chelsea Harbour townhouse for over three years
The jewellery designer frequently posts pictures of her glamorous surroundings to Instagram
The jewellery brand favoured by A-listers
But rather than resting on her laurels, Matilde has spent her 20s in the capital investing time and energy into her budding jewellery brand.
Launched in 2020, the sustainable fine jewellery brand – named after Matilde herself, as well as her mother, who shares the same name – aims to lessen the environmental impact of the jewellery industry, with the designer using only 100 per cent recycled gold and laboratory-grown diamonds.
The pieces do not come cheap, with the Chuva necklace, in 14K yellow gold featuring a pear-shaped diamond, costing £4,235.
But comparative bargains can be had, with a pair of small diamond studs a more reasonable £105.
Mourinho himself has been one of the brand’s greatest ambassadors, often sporting some of her pieces for men on social media.
The manager also played PR representative, introducing Stormzy to the brand when he appeared in his music video for Mel Made Me Do It in 2022.
The rapper wore Matilde’s Shield necklace in the viral clip, with stars including Kylie Minogue, Lady Amelia Windsor, and Sophie Habboo also sporting the brand’s pieces.
Mourinho is one of the biggest advocates for his daughter’s sustainable fine jewellery line
The former Real Madrid manager even manager to convince Stormzy to wear a delicate piece
Publicity-shy son’s failed football career
While Matilde has been keen to raise her profile in line with promoting her brand, her brother Jose Jnr has opted to shun the spotlight, leading a largely private life in London.
Little is known publicly about the 25-year-old, who uses his mother’s maiden name Faria on social media, but he remains part of the fiercely close family, with Mourinho sharing a sweet post in tribute to their bond in honour of his birthday this year.
Mourinho also spoke of his delight at being able to visit his son this week, saying: ‘I have my wife and daughter in Portugal. My son is in London so the best thing there is going to see him.’
At one stage, it appeared that Jose Jnr was set to follow his father into the world of professional football, after signing for local team Fulham’s academy in 2014.
But just three years later, the teenager was released by the club in 2017.
Jose Jnr leads his London life largely out of the spotlight but frequently appears in his sister’s social media posts
The 25-year-old has been living in the capital and dating his girlfriend for over five years
Jose Jnr is believed to have briefly considered a move into coaching, having undertaken work experience sitting in the dugout during his father’s Man United tenure for a 2018 clash against Swansea.
When asking his son for feedback, Mourinho seemed impressed, saying: ‘In a period of a few bad results one day, he comes up with some analysis on my team – obviously suffering because Dad wasn’t doing well.
‘We had lost to Watford and Manchester City, I think, and he came with the stats of the team. I showed them to my assistants and I told them, “Be careful as one day this boy will take one of your places”.’
While Jose Jnr has not made the move yet, he is instead a frequent presence on his sister’s Instagram feed, as is his girlfriend of five years Robyn Emerson, who is a singer-songwriter and Shamanic Kundalini Yoga teacher.
