Félix Mourinho

Portuguese footballer and manager

José Manuel Mourinho Félix (12 February 1938 – 25 June 2017), known as Félix Mourinho, was a Portuguese football goalkeeper and manager.

Mourinho was born in Ferragudo, Faro District, Algarve. He played 19 seasons as a professional, making his Primeira Liga debut in 1955–56 with Vitória de Setúbal. He spent 13 campaigns with the Sado River side, helping them win two Portuguese Cups and appearing in as many Inter Cities Fairs Cup editions. Before 1968–69 started, Mourinho signed for fellow league club Belenenses, finishing in a personal best ever second position in his fifth season – with the subsequent qualification to the UEFA Cup – and retiring in June of the following year at the age of 36. He earned one cap for the Portugal national team, coming on as a substitute for Benfica's José Henrique in the dying minutes of a 2–1 win against the Republic of Ireland in the 1972 Brazil Independence Cup. achieving the same feat after winning seven matches in 11. The former saw his son José involved with the squad for the first time, and he was also usually tasked with scouting other teams for his father when not playing for the reserves. Mourinho rarely selected his son, but on the final day of the campaign against champions elect Sporting CP, a defender was injured in the pre match warm up, so he told his son to get changed. However, president José Maria Pinho, fearing the threat of nepotism, overruled the decision to do so; the incident saw the pair leave the club to join Belenenses the following summer – before that, the manager was considered for the Portugal job, but he was passed over for Fernando Cabrita. The latter went on to become one of the most renowned and successful football managers of his era.

Mourinho died on 25 June 2017 in Setúbal, at the age of 79.