FC Porto 2004

Coach: José Mourinho

José Mourinho's Porto won the Champions League in 2004 as major underdogs, beating Monaco 3-0 in the final in Gelsenkirchen with goals from Carlos Alberto, Deco and Dmitri Alenichev completing a run that had already seen the Portuguese side eliminate Manchester United in the round of 16 — a tie remembered for Costinha's dramatic injury-time winner at Old Trafford that sent Mourinho, then a relatively unknown young coach, sprinting down the touchline in celebration in a moment widely credited with launching his international reputation. Deco, the Brazilian-born playmaker who would later switch allegiance to represent Portugal, was the creative heartbeat of the side and named UEFA's Club Footballer of the Year, while a well-organised, disciplined defensive structure typical of Mourinho's coaching philosophy underpinned the whole campaign. This triumph, achieved with a squad assembled on a fraction of the budget of Europe's traditional giants, remains one of the great underdog stories in Champions League history and served as the direct launchpad for Mourinho's move to Chelsea that summer, beginning the phase of his career that would establish him as one of the most successful, and controversial, managers of his generation.