It was an emotional moment for José Mourinho just moments before kick-off in the Benfica v Vitória Guimarães match. The Eagles’ manager was unable to hold back his tears during the minute’s silence in memory of Silvino Louro, a former Portuguese goalkeeper and long-time member of Mourinho’s coaching staff throughout his career.
The entire Da Luz stadium observed a minute’s silence in memory of the late Silvino Louro, a former player who passed away at the age of 67 following a long illness. A top‑class goalkeeper in Portugal who also made several appearances for the national team, after hanging up his boots Silvino spent almost two decades as the goalkeeping coach for Mourinho’s teams. He was with the Special One at Porto and then followed him on his adventures with Chelsea, Inter, Real Madrid and Manchester United.
It was inevitable that, at such a painful moment, Mourinho would break down in tears for his friend, first and foremost. In the videos capturing the moment, the coach can be seen, visibly moved and with reddened eyes, looking up at the big screen where a photo of Silvino had appeared. Mourinho watched the tribute to the former goalkeeper and then, returning to the dugout, tried to wipe away the tears streaming down his face and compose himself to follow the match.
Speaking to the Portuguese media after the match, Mourinho commented: “My wife told me yesterday that it was hard to believe he was gone, and it still is. He’s gone, but the memories remain. It’s still time to mourn him, but I hope there are still many years ahead for me and many of his friends from Setúbal to laugh and cry together again. We spent 18 years together; that means so many memories. Living with him meant laughing a lot; he was one of those people it was easy to fall in love with. He was at home with my wife, my daughter and my son, but now it’s about looking after those left behind. His children are part of our lives; they grew up with us and we must try to give them strength at this time. Before the match, after not being able to attend his funeral, seeing him on the screen was very hard, but I will always remember his words: before every match he would always say to me, ‘Brother, everything will be fine today’.”
A few hours after the news of Silvino’s death, Mourinho shared this tribute on social media: “I’m crying now, but I’ll manage to laugh, to laugh a lot, to talk about you, to remember every moment. In the Mourinho family, you are loved and you will live on. I’ll keep listening to you before every match: ‘brother, everything will be alright’. Rest in peace, little brother.”
As mentioned, Silvino Louro was a top‑class goalkeeper in Portuguese football. He began his career at Vitória Setúbal in 1977, before moving to Vitória Guimarães and then Benfica. He retired in 2000, aged over 40, having also played for Porto and Salgueiros. He made 408 appearances in the Portuguese top flight, whilst representing the national team in 23 matches.
