Jose Mourinho the Manchester United £12m manager

Jose Mourinho, 53,  is the Manchester United manager, as top managers have become as prominent as top players in recent years and often the mascot of the club they lead and they are constantly followed by media and paparazzi and often compelled to give press conferences by governing bodies such as UEFA.  Mourinho  brand is an unusual case as Chelsea retains a trademark for his name for a range of products from aftershave to underwear. This means Manchester United will have to think each time they sell anything branded Jose Mourinho as they have to work out if they are using the name in a way that infringes the trademark.  Chelsea first registered his name with the UK’s intellectual property office in 2005, as this covers hundreds of items from football boots, sportswear, computer games etc. Manchester United wanted to do a deal with Chelsea to transfer or license the trademark so that they can fully exploit and market his name.

Mourinho signed a three-year contract with an option to stay at Manchester United until at least 2020 which is worth £12m a year. In 2014, Guernsey set up the world’s first image rights register to stop people from profiting from the use of a famous person’s image.

Mourinho said ” To become Manchester United manager is a special honour in the game. It is known and admired throughout the world. There is a mystique and a romance about it which no other club can match.” The club is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and although 80 percent of the shares owned by the Glazer family, and the shares have risen by about 4 percent over the week.

Mourinho “Special one” has won several league titles and cups in Portugal, Italy, England and Spain and won the Uefa Champions League in 2004 with FC Porto and in 2010 with Inter Milan. He left Chelsea seven months after winning the league title with the club just above the relegation zone. The appointment will also rekindle the rivalry sparked when in charge of Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively between Pep Guardiola who has joined Manchester City from Bayern Munich.