Inter Milan manager José Mourinho.

The American species of football coach is a curious character, often overweight and disheveled, who stalks the sideline with a play sheet and a comically large headset — like Parcells, Belichick, Reid and Holmgren. The European species, like the game, has evolved differently. Its epitome is Mourinho, 46, the confident, handsome, polyglot tactician who catapulted to the top of the soccer world when he won the 2004 European Champions League title with F.C. Porto in his native Portugal.

In 2003 Porto won the UEFA Cup, defeating my favorite team Celtic FC of Glasgow. Inter play Manchester United today at 2:45 Central on ESPN2 in the second leg of the Champions League knockout round of sixteen. The competition runs from August until May but only gets interesting during the elimination rounds. One of the many beauties of soccer is that the manager has little control once the game begins. He can stand in a small "technical area" on the sideline and yell instructions (suggestions?), but play continues with few stoppages and he is allowed only three substitutions.
Celtic midfielder Paul Lambert (R) holds back Porto's Ricardo Carvalho(L) in 2003's UEFA Cup final, which Celtic lost by a silver goal in Seville. REUTERS/Jeff J Mitchell