Andre Villas Boas

Luís André de Pina Cabral e Villas-Boas, usually known as André Villas-Boas

Portuguese football manager and the current manager of Chelsea. Prior to his appointment at Chelsea, he spent nine months as manager of Académica de Coimbra and then a year as manager of F.C. Porto. While at Porto he became the youngest manager to win a European club title. His €15 million (£13.3 million) move from Porto to Chelsea was the most expensive ever by a manager. Unusually for a manager at the top level, he has no experience as a professional player and, before becoming manager of Académica de Coimbra at the age of 31, he had no significant experience as a head coach.

At the age of 16, Villas-Boas (who was always a Porto supporter) lived in the same apartment block as the English 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 (another protégé of Robson's). As Mourinho moved clubs to Chelsea and Internazionale, Villas-Boas followed.

At the start of the 2009/10 season, Villas-Boas left Mourinho's support team to pursue a career as manager, and he soon found a job in the Primeira Liga with Académica de Coimbra, filling a vacancy created by Rogério Gonçalves' resignation in October 2009. At the time of Villas-Boas' appointment, Académica were at the bottom of the league and still without wins, but their luck started to change as he introduced a new style, leading them to a safe 11th place, ten points clear of the relegation zone. In addition to that, Académica also reached the 2009–10 Portuguese League Cup semi-finals, losing against Porto at the Estádio do Dragão with a late goal from Mariano González. His impact at Académica was immediate, not only because of solid results, but also because of the attractive football displayed by the team, which led to intense media speculation linking him with the vacant jobs at Sporting Clube de Portugal and Porto in the summer of 2010.

Villas-Boas was announced as new Porto manager on 2 June 2010. On 7 August 2010, he won his first trophy when Porto beat Benfica 2–0 in the Portuguese Supercup. He followed this with three more titles: the Portuguese Primeira Liga, the UEFA Europa League and the Portuguese Cup. He became the third youngest coach to win the Primeira Liga, behind Mihály Siska (1938/39), and Juca (1961/62) and the youngest manager ever to win a European competition, by winning the UEFA Europa League on 18 May 2011 at the age of 33 years and 213 days

His Porto team set the following additional team records:

• Second team to go unbeaten through a Portuguese league season, following Benfica in 1972/73 and 1977/78
• Club record for the most matches across all competitions unbeaten (36). This winning streak was begun by the previous coach of Porto, Jesualdo Ferreira. The previous record, 33 matches, was held by José Mourinho.
• Most wins in Europe in one season by a Portuguese club (14).
• Most points in a 30-game Portuguese league season (84 points).
  
• Most consecutive wins in the Portuguese league (16).
  
• Biggest margin over the second placed team in the league (21 points).
  

On 21 June 2011 Villas-Boas tendered his resignation as manager of Porto.

Chelsea confirmed the appointment of Villas-Boas as their new manager on a three-year contract with immediate effect on 22 June 2011.They indirectly paid Porto €15 million (£13.3 million) compensation via Villas-Boas to activate his release clause and free him from his contract.

Villas-Boas speaks English fluently, having been taught by his paternal grandmother Margaret Kendall, whose mother moved to Portugal from Cheadle to start a wine business. He has been married since 2004 to Joana Teixeira, and has two daughters.

• Primeira Liga (1): 2011
• Taça de Portugal (1): 2011
• Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira (1): 2010
• UEFA Europa League (1): 2011

• CNID Breakthrough Coach: 2010
• Globos de Ouro: Prémio revelação 2011