Jose Mourinho – An astrological profile of the self-proclaimed “Special One”

On the eve of the biggest football game this season, Real Madrid versus Barcelona in the semi final of the Champion’s League, focus will quite rightly fall on the former Barcelona assistant coach Jose Mourinho, the current manager at Real who infuriates the Spanish media, yet is adored by the fans because he is a serial winner. He is a fascinating man, who at only 48 years of age, is already being hailed as one of the greatest coaches ever.

José Mário dos Santos Félix Mourinho was born on 26th January 1963 at 07.00am in Setubal in Portugal. He is a double Aquarius with both Sun and Moon in the sign and he has a serious Capricorn ascendant. Aquarians are cool, detached, stubborn, often very talented, rebellious and often have a star quality about them. With Jose, you can definitely seen in him all of those qualities. The Sun and Moon are in wide conjunction in the first house; he will be sympathetic to other people but not so much to his family, indeed he may regard his friends and associates just as much as his relatives. This is an assertive position for the Sun/Moon, he is his own man, will always be in charge, be first and be the boss. The moon here cannot be hidden, all his emotions will rise up to the surface but in Aquarius this is cool, controlled emotion, calculated as if he can turn it off and on at will, just to annoy everyone around him. This is a man who likes to taunt and to tease.

In between the Sun and the Moon is Saturn. Saturn makes Jose even more aloof and distrustful of those outside his circle, he takes himself very seriously and he projects a cold hard edge to the outside world. Conjunct to the Moon and Sun there is a caution about the way he works allied with ruthless authority. Jose’s word will be law. He gets this from his parents who I can imagine were very strict with young Jose; Saturn’s iron will coloured his formative years. Completing the first house picture is Mercury in organizational Capricorn conjunct to the ascendant. Mercury is peregrine (unconnected to any other planet by major aspect). Mercury in this position dominates the chart  and suggests a very high intellect and brilliant administrative, strategic and organisational skills; he will be uninterested in exaggeration and will focus plainly on the facts in any situation with an almost cynical zeal. Jose speaks 6 languages, will be disciplined and will always be learning; he will be a student of any endeavour he puts his mind to.

Looking at the rest of the chart patterns, one can see two oppositions one fixed and one mutable and off them are formed t-squares and wedge formations, two of each. These formations add colour to the seriously minded, individualistic first house. From the Saturn/Moon conjunction we find a t-square formed from an opposition to Mars in proud Leo with squares leading to Neptune at the point conjunct the Midheaven in Scorpio. Here is energy with an emotional bite (Moon), proud, arrogant (Leo), given with a calculated control (Saturn) which is shown on the public arena (Midheaven) for the whole world to see. Jose you see is a showman, able to create illusions (Neptune) to confuse (Neptune) any opposition to himself; he feels totally at home in-front of the TV cameras (ruled by Neptune), he plays to them.

Mars in Leo is a lover of competition and sport, Scorpio loves any physical endeavour which rules the Midheaven and in this chart Neptune, and as such Jose would have always been attracted to physical challenges. He shunned business school, favoured by his mother, to take a degree in sports science. Making a wedge formation to the Midheaven/Neptune is the mutable opposition of Jupiter in the second house opposing Pluto in it’s home house the 8th; the house of regeneration and change. Pluto in analytical Virgo shows a lover of detail of the highest degree, this is the position of the plotter, the schemer, someone who will ruthlessly dissect and exploit any weakness in an opponent. Jose will not be afraid of change, and will alter his approach to suit any occasion, so long as he believes it will help him to win. This is backed up with Uranus conjunct to Pluto in the 8th, here is revolutionary change, able to take over big organisations and businesses and reform them in his own image. Jupiter in the 2nd house opposite Pluto gives Jose an ability to teach in great detail,  a love of luxury, big international ambitions, a gambler’s instinct and a fair amount of luck. Jupiter/Neptune/Midheaven shows a colourful imagination, a love of the big stage and it encourages his to move on when he feels he is no longer accepted, Jose is always on the move from one club to the next.

Moving on to the mutable t-square, we find Venus at the point square out to the Pluto/Jupiter opposition in the 11th house. Venus here shows a social side, the need for friends and companionship, the need to be part of a team, to be loved by that team and as Jose has such a strong first house, to be in charge of that team; just as importantly to him, this team must be a winning team. Jupiter adds the teaching or coaching element to the mix and Pluto aids the tactical and ruthless edge. As I said before Jose needs his friends and associates probably more than his family and here is the key to his success. As Venus is in Sagittarius, he has an ability to bring disparate characters from all different cultures (very Sagittarian) together to bond as one efficient unit under his tutelage.

Jose’s current transit and Solar Arc charts remain remarkably upbeat wit a constructive trine between his natal Saturn and his natal Saturn which is progressive and a nice trine between transiting Jupiter and natal Venus and a square for transiting Jupiter and his ascendant. Solar Arc Mercury is conjunct natal Pluto so I can see that maybe some of his comments may upset some people and get him into hot water, but this is not new for Jose.These supporting elements suggest yet more success, if anyone can outwit Barcelona, then Jose can. With transiting Saturn just about to enter Jose’s 9th house his career is still on an upward curve and there seems no stopping him until about 2017/2018, when we may see Jose depart from management to start a new career, certainly this time will herald a complete change of direction in his life.

It is very rare that you find all the components needed to be a truly successful manager in the cut-throat world of international football, however Jose seems to have them all, an eye for details, a ruthless edge, a serious attitude to work, a tactical nous, unafraid of change, the love of being in the spotlight and the nerve of a poker player. That’s why he has the footballing world at his feet.