- The coach preparing for his fourth CONMEBOL Libertadores final with Palmeiras is a friend and disciple of the current Real Madrid manager, whom he frequently quotes and seeks to emulate.
- “He does something difficult, something you don't often see: after winning so much, he hasn't left,” ‘Mou’ said in praise of the man who has been at the helm of Verdão for almost six years.
In March 2021, two months after winning the 2020 CONMEBOL Libertadores as Palmeiras coach, Abel Ferreira gave a video interview to the television programme Seleção SporTV from his hometown of Porto, while enjoying a family break. Perhaps inspired by being back on home soil, the Portuguese coach declared that his country's managers owed everything to José Mourinho, whose success had been instrumental in paving the way for Portuguese coaches around the world. “Crossing the Atlantic is difficult. Mourinho is our greatest role model. He won everything at clubs of different sizes, playing in different ways. He was the first to achieve great things, to open doors,” Ferreira stressed.
When Ferreira — now the most decorated coach in Palmeiras history, with 11 titles after surpassing Oswaldo Brandão's record of ten in March, and the longest-serving manager at any current Brasileirão club, having spent almost six years in charge — married psychologist Ana Xavier two decades ago, he took three books about Mourinho on their honeymoon. The couple have known each other since their school days. “My wife asked me: ‘What are you doing with those books? You won't have time to study or read them.’ I was still a player, but I wanted to know what made this coach everyone spoke so highly of so special. They said he knew everything about his opponents, that he studied their tactics. He sent people to watch rival teams train. And that made me very curious. I would call my friends who played for Porto and ask them what was so special about him. They told me he was like the Pelé of coaching: he made players better than they actually were. We Portuguese coaches share knowledge.”
Abel Fernando Moreira Ferreira, 47, father of Inês and Mariana, is on the verge of his fourth CONMEBOL Libertadores final, all of them as Palmeiras head coach. His latest appearance will come on Saturday, 28 November, against Estudiantes de La Plata at Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, the very stadium where he claimed his second consecutive CONMEBOL Libertadores title on 27 November 2021, when Palmeiras defeated Flamengo 2-1 (having beaten Santos 1-0 in the 2020 final at the Maracanã). Against El Pincha, Abel — who regards Mourinho as his role model and now considers the Portuguese manager a friend — will be aiming to claim Eternal Glory for the third time.
In September 2021, after securing a place in his second successive CONMEBOL Libertadores final despite facing some criticism, following Palmeiras' elimination of Atlético Mineiro (progressing on away goals after a 1-1 draw in the second leg in Belo Horizonte), Ferreira acknowledged drawing inspiration from Mourinho and Cristiano Ronaldo. “What separates a rat from a man is believing in your work and discipline. I am proudly Portuguese and European. We have one of the best coaches in the world in Mourinho, and one of the best players in Cristiano Ronaldo. When you look at Cristiano, you see extraordinary mental strength, an insatiable work ethic and a relentless desire to win and be the best. That is the Portuguese mentality, and I will never give up,” he said at a press conference following qualification for the final.
He then recalled Porto's UEFA Champions League round-of-16 tie against Alex Ferguson's Manchester United in 2003/04, when Mourinho's side, who would go on to win the competition, claimed a 2-1 victory in Portugal before securing a dramatic 1-1 draw at Old Trafford thanks to a late goal from Costinha. “That inspired me. That's what I told my players: that we came here to score, with hard work and discipline, things that are sometimes lacking in Brazil. You need rigour, discipline, hard work and daily dedication. It's about making sacrifices to win, and that's the price you pay to reach a final.”
Ferreira — who arrived at Palmeiras as a virtual unknown to the club's supporters in late 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic — began his coaching career in Sporting Lisbon's youth academy (before going on to manage Sporting B, Braga B, Braga and Greek side PAOK Thessaloniki). On one occasion, Abel cited Kevin De Bruyne's unremarkable spell at Mourinho's Chelsea to illustrate how a footballer can develop over time. ‘Mou’ himself contacted Ferreira before signing Uruguayan defender Matías Viña from Palmeiras for Roma. Abel and Mourinho share a mutual admiration. They also subscribe to the same fundamental footballing principles: balanced, pragmatic and passionate teams, capable of adapting to different circumstances, even if that means defending in a low block, closing down spaces and looking to regain possession. Once defensive organisation is established, they pay close attention to the details that can help them exploit their opponents. Cabeça fria, coração quente (Cool Head, Warm Heart, 2022) is the title of Ferreira's book, in which he recounts the behind-the-scenes work and tactical planning that underpinned Palmeiras' back-to-back CONMEBOL Libertadores triumphs.
Like Mourinho, Ferreira has walked out of press conferences, frustrated by questions and the treatment he has received from the media. He has even read out match statistics, one by one, to defend his team's performance. He has criticised refereeing decisions. He has sent messages to supporters, engaging in mind games that have sparked controversy and debate. He has fostered an ‘us against the world’ mentality, portraying Palmeiras as a club fighting against all its enemies in an effort to unite his team and its supporters. Like The Special One — the nickname Mourinho famously gave himself — Abel divides opinion, inspiring both love and hatred. He frequently receives red and yellow cards for his passionate and sometimes excessive behaviour on the touchline. “I experience football in an intense and passionate way,” he once admitted. “I'll make an effort to behave better. I enjoy learning, and every day I want to become a better coach.” There is, nevertheless, widespread agreement that he has understood the spirit of Palmeiras supporters and transformed the club forever.
In August 2025, speaking to SportyNet, Mourinho, who had returned to Real Madrid earlier that year, praised his protégé: “Abel is undoubtedly the leading figure among Portuguese coaches. Not just because of what he's won, because Abel wins the Libertadores, the Brasileirão, stays at the club for one, two, three, four, five years… He does something difficult, something coaches don't usually do: after winning so much, he hasn't left. He's always stayed at a club that obviously provides fantastic conditions. You can see the good relationship between him and the club president, but they keep selling players, developing others, finding solutions. It's been a brilliant journey.”
And Ferreira has certainly stayed the course. Under contract until December 2027, he now lives in Brazil with his wife and daughters, having initially arrived on his own. He has the opportunity to win his third CONMEBOL Libertadores title and join Osvaldo Zubeldía (1968, 1969 and 1970) in joint-second place on the list of the competition's most successful coaches, with three titles, behind only Carlos Bianchi (four). But to do so, his Palmeiras side — a team that has defined an era — must overcome the very club with which Zubeldía achieved those triumphs, and where he remains a revered figure to this day: Estudiantes de La Plata. Another challenge in the remarkable career of football's most ‘Mourinho-esque’ manager.
