"Can the 'Special One' still teach? Missing out on the Champions League and a flamboyant personality—Mourinho faces his seventh career dismissal!

Written by Han Bing The day after Fenerbahçe lost 0-1 away to Benfica and failed to qualify for the new season's Champions League group stage, the Turkish powerhouse announced Mourinho's dismissal. Fenerbahçe's consecutive exits in the Champions League qualifiers have caused heavy financial damage. Actually, the club's top management had contemplated firing Mourinho several times last season, but what ultimately exceeded their patience was Mourinho causing the club to miss out again on tens of millions of euros in Champions League income.

Looking back at Mourinho's year-plus in the Turkish Super Lig, the Portuguese "Special One" was indeed often on the brink of dismissal. His stint in Turkey can be described as a nightmare in his coaching career; it was the first time he completed a full season without winning any trophies, not even reaching a final. On the pitch, Mourinho lost Champions League group stage qualification at the start of last season and was consistently dominated in the league by archrival Galatasaray, without any real chance to claim the title. In the four most important derbies against Galatasaray and Beşiktaş, he managed only one draw and three losses. In March, the Europa League round of 16 away match was lost to Glasgow Rangers; in April, the Turkish Cup quarterfinal at home was lost to Galatasaray; and in May, a 0-1 home defeat to Beşiktaş, coached by Solskjær, ended any hope of the league title.

Every time a championship opportunity slipped away, Mourinho faced the threat of dismissal. But what truly made Fenerbahçe intolerant was his consistently rebellious attitude off the field. In his Turkish Super Lig debut last year, he received a yellow card within 20 minutes for protesting the referee. In September, he was booked again for showing the offside lines on his laptop to the TV cameras. In November, he publicly criticized the Turkish league at a press conference, calling it "dark and foul-smelling," and said "no one abroad watches it." Later, he openly attacked VAR referees as "only good for drinking tea" and called the main referee "like a little boy," positioning Fenerbahçe as opposing the entire Turkish "football system."

At the end of February this year, after Fenerbahçe was held to a draw by league leaders Galatasaray, Mourinho mocked the entire opposing bench as "monkeys jumping around" during a press conference. Galatasaray filed a criminal lawsuit accusing him of racist remarks. Although his four-match suspension was reduced to two after appeal, and his fine lowered from $40,000 to $15,000, after losing the Turkish Cup quarterfinal to Galatasaray in April, Mourinho was suspended again for three matches after pinching the opposing coach Bruk's nose. Moreover, his conflicts with the club management have been repeatedly exposed by the media. Mourinho accused the club of weak recruitment, while the club believed his flamboyance damaged their prestigious reputation. Ultimately, poor results gave the club a "respectable" reason to dismiss him.

Although parting ways unhappily with Fenerbahçe, Mourinho—dismissed six times before—won't make the club struggle over severance pay. Fenerbahçe only needs to pay him €8.75 million for the remainder of his contract.

Earlier reports from the British media claiming his total severance accumulated to €115 million were false. Back in September 2007, when he was first dismissed, the original £23 million severance was reduced to £18 million (€28 million). Later, when negotiating his exit from Real Madrid, the €20 million clause was lowered to €10 million. Upon his second Chelsea dismissal, the £40 million compensation was cut to the remaining £4.25 million (€6 million) of that season's salary. After being sacked by Manchester United after two and a half years, he only received one year's salary of £12 million (€13.3 million) for the remaining contract period. Adding compensations from Tottenham (€4.3 million), Roma (€4 million), and Fenerbahçe (€8.75 million), the total sums to €74.35 million.

During his 14 months in Turkey, Mourinho not only lost his gallbladder but also the last aura of a world-class coach. The 62-year-old "Special One"—where will he go next? British media have boldly suggested a return to Manchester United, but clearly neither Mourinho nor the club currently intend this. Mourinho still hopes to prove himself back in the Premier League, though he may have to settle for Nottingham Forest or West Ham United. The former's Portuguese coach Nuno has fallen out with the Greek shipowner owner, while the latter highly values Mourinho. West Ham's manager Potter is also under pressure, and Mourinho, accustomed to life in London, does not rule out coaching a third London club.

Perhaps soon, fans will once again see Mourinho's long-missed figure in the Premier League. The British media, always eager for drama, will surely provide headlines for the "Special One's" fifth Premier League coaching stint. Regardless of the team's results, Mourinho off the field never lacks topics to discuss.