Andre Villas-Boas (born 17 October 1977 in Porto) is a Portuguese soccer manager currently managing F.C. Porto. He is regarded as unique in the sense that he has no soccer playing experience, became a coach of a major club with very little head coaching experience, and achieved this role at a very young age…

When Jesualdo Ferreira left F.C. Porto, Villas-Boas was announced as their new manager on 2 June 2010, having been presented on 4 June. On 7 August 2010, he won his first trophy when Porto beat Benfica 2–0 in the Portuguese Supercup.

On 11 December 2010, Villas-Boas set a club record for the most matches across all competitions unbeaten, a record previously held by José Mourinho at 33 matches. Villas Boas led Porto in 26 games and so far has achieved 23 wins, 3 draws and not a single defeat…

He learned from the best. Andre Villas Boas spent years as one of Jose Mourinho’s trusted assistants.

Yet he may never have gone any further if, in early 2002, the club had not turned to Mourinho, himself an unorthodox rising star of management. Mourinho took him under his wing, making Villas Boas an integral part of his staff, both at Porto, where he won two league titles, the Champions League and the UEFA Cup and later during his successful spells at Chelsea and Inter Milan. By the time he moved to Chelsea, Villas Boas’s pre-match scouting included personalized DVDs for each player, outlining their direct opponent in the next game, including strengths, weaknesses and tendencies.

Given Mourinho’s reputation, it was quite the calling card, and Villas Boas openly admits that it helped him land the Academica job. While Villas Boas employs the 4-3-3 formation Mourinho used to such great effect at Chelsea, it’s a more fluid system, with the wingers often turning into strikers. He lacks Mourinho’s charisma – that unparalleled ability to seduce players, media and fans – and comes across as less confrontational and self-assured. On the other hand, he may be more tactically sophisticated and his Porto squad attacks more than Mourinho’s teams at Chelsea and Inter (the jury’s still out on Real Madrid).

Villas Boas’s appointment obviously owes a lot to his mentor. But it’s also a bold move, a striking departure from the groupthink and conventional wisdom so prevalent in soccer. You’ll know whether it worked the day you read a profile of Villas Boas that does not mention Mourinho.