Jose Mourinho’s managerial career has been defined by glittering success on the pitch and equally eye-catching compensation packages off it. The Portuguese tactician has once again found himself on the receiving end of a costly dismissal, this time from Turkish giants Fenerbahce, where he has secured yet another lucrative payout.
Mourinho signed a two-year deal with Fenerbahce in 2024, worth around €10 million annually plus performance bonuses. However, his stay in Istanbul has come to a premature end after he failed to guide the club into the Champions League group stage, falling to Benfica in the playoff round. With his contract running until June 2026, the termination leaves Fenerbahce paying a hefty €15 million in compensation.
This latest figure adds to a remarkable trend throughout Mourinho’s career. Despite a managerial CV boasting Champions League triumphs, league titles across Europe, and a Europa Conference League win, his career has also been marked by abrupt exits. Each dismissal has come with a financial cushion that places him among the highest-earning managers in history when it comes to severance packages.
In total, Mourinho has now pocketed over €95 million from early terminations across his career. English clubs alone account for around €80 million of that sum, with Chelsea twice, Manchester United, and Tottenham Hotspur all parting ways with him at great expense. At Chelsea, for example, his two departures cost the London club nearly €40 million combined. Manchester United paid him approximately €22 million, while Tottenham’s dismissal added another €20 million to his tally.
Roma, his most recent employer before Fenerbahce, also paid a significant sum when they decided to part ways following a poor Serie A run. That exit was followed closely by the Turkish adventure, which has now ended in a similar fashion.
For Mourinho, each sacking has reinforced his unique position in modern football: a manager whose reputation may be questioned after underwhelming recent spells, but whose financial security is never in doubt. His career earnings from dismissals alone would rival the lifetime contracts of many top players, making him the undisputed king of payout deals in football management.
Whether he chooses another challenge soon or takes time off, one certainty remains Jose Mourinho’s sackings are never cheap.
