If Real Madrid wins in Manchester on Wednesday, José Mourinho will become the youngest ever coach to rack up 100 Champions League matches.
In becoming the fifth manager to reach this milestone, Mou will join the select company of Carlo Ancelotti, Arsène Wenger, Ottmar Hitzfeld and Sir Alex Ferguson. However, Mourinho will be doing so aged just 49, making him easily the youngest manager to reach the century mark.
The previous youngest man to reach this mark was Carlo Ancelotti, who was 51 at the time. Wenger and Hitzfeld both celebrated their century aged 58, while Ferguson was 62. As such, the Special One, who has coached four teams (Porto, Chelsea, Inter and Real Madrid) in the tournament, will be setting a new record by two years.
Oddly enough, it was at the Bernabéu that Mou, who will have overseen 29 Champions League matches for Real Madrid by the final whistle on Wednesday, made his debut in the competition on 19th February 2002. Since then, his record reads: 54 wins, 25 draws and 20 defeats, with 166 goals for and 85 against.
Statistically speaking, the ‘Special One’ was at his most special last season, when his Real Madrid side fell to Bayern in the semi-finals.
Despite failing to win the trophy, his team posted the best ever group stage results in Champions League history and won ten matches in total, drawing and losing just the once and scoring 35 goals in the process (an average of almost three a game).