Andre Villas-Boas – Profile on Manager

DOB: 17 October 1977

Age: 33

Place of birth/Nationality: Porto/Portugal

Position/Squad Number: Manager

Family:

Andre speaks English fluently, having been taught by his paternal grandmother Margaret Kendall, whose mother moved to Portugal from Cheadle, United Kingdom, to start a wine business. He met his wife Joana, 30, when he was young and they have two children, daughters Benedita and Carolina. Joana does not work and, like her husband, comes from a wealthy family.

Early Days

At the age of 16, Villas-Boas (who was always a Porto supporter) lived in the same apartment block as the Englishman Bobby Robson, who was managing FC Porto at the time. Following a debate between the two, Robson appointed Villas-Boas to Porto’s observation department. Under the guidance of Robson, who was impressed with his fluent knowledge of English, he achieved his UEFA C coaching licence at the age of 17 in Scotland.

He then had a short stint as head coach of the British Virgin Islands national team at the age of 21, before he moved onto a career as an Assistant Coach at Porto under José Mourinho. As Mourinho moved from Chelsea to Internazionale, Villas-Boas followed.

Prior to his appointment at Chelsea, AVB spent nine months as manager of Académica de Coimbra and then a year as manager of F.C. Porto.

Unusually for a manager at the top level, he has no experience as a professional player. His only “flashy” hobby outside of football is following Formula One — he has gone to Monaco and Dubai on holiday so that he could see their Grand Prix races. But rather than sports cars, Villas-Boas drives a modest Fiat 500 as well as a BMW 8 Series.

Awards/Key Moments                                              

• Club record for the most matches across all competitions unbeaten.
• Most wins in Europe in one season by a Portuguese club.
• Most consecutive wins in the Portuguese league.
• Biggest margin over the second placed team in the league (21 points).
• While at Porto he became the youngest manager to win a European club title (aged 33).
• AVB became the youngest person to gain the FA’s coaching qualification.
• His €15 million (£13.3 million) move from Porto to Chelsea is the most expensive ever by a manager.

Clubs Managed

2000–2001 British Virgin Islands

2009–2010 Académica de Coimbra

2010–2011 Porto

2011– Chelsea

Quotes from Manager

“People focus a lot on the work of the manager and I don’t see it that way. I don’t see myself as a one-man show. Football isn’t won by one person but by collective competence. It is the quality of the players and the structure of the club.”

“This is not a one-man show. This is a question of creating empathy and motivations and ambitions.”

“It’s not just a question of me taking on Sir Alex, it’s a top club like Chelsea challenging for the title”

What the fans say…

@xXiPROXxCfc – “The Next Jose Mourinho”

@Hazel_J94 – “Young, Passionate, Committed”

@Princelinho10 -“Intelligent, Ambitious, Bold & Handsome”

@ChelseaChadder – “Man with a plan”

Clare Smith @chelsea4girls