When we talk about succe sful Portuguese football managers, who have sat in the hotsteat at the Estadio Dragao, we automatically think of The Special One, Jose Mourinho. The 47 year-old burst on to the scene in Northern Portugal when he was appointed by then president Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa in 2002 after a very succe sful Sammy Sosa Jersey year with Uniao de Leiria. The current Inter Milan bo s, was the man who led FC Porto to sensational triumphs in the 2003 and 2004 UEFA Cup and UEFA Champions League respectively.The Man Who Eased The Lo s of The Special OneFour head coaches later, Manuel Jesualdo Ferreira was appointed to replace short spells of Co Adriaanse, Luigi de Neri, Victor Hernandez and Jose Couceiro. The strongly experienced Ferreira has been in football management since 1981 when he managed lower division minnows Rio Maior and his development is staggering, eventually becoming the A sistant manager to the Portuguese National Team in the 1990s and head coach at Benfica and Braga in the early noughties.Tied at the Estadio Dragao until 2011, Ferreiras succe s with FC Porto since 2006 speaks for itself. He will probably be a relatively new-name to alot of football fans but his Billy Williams Jersey three Portuguese league-titles in consecutive years with a squad that has regularly been shaken by Portos transfer strategy speaks for itself. The development of FC Porto from an average Portuguese club to one of the regulars in the latter rounds of the Champions League is quite staggering. A crucial factor in this succe s is Ferreiras ability to keep the squad together mentally, despite allowing a number of star performers to move away to pastures new. In his first summer as FC Porto manager, Ferreira had the uphill task of leading the side to an expected Portuguese title despite the sale of Diego to Werder Bremen and Benni McCarthy to Blackburn Rovers. Ferreira still managed to lead Porto to a League Championship and a Last 16 Champions League place. Pepes transfer to Real was a cruel blowA year Albert Almora Jr Jersey later, Ferreira lost Anderson to Manchester United, Pepe to Real Madrid and Ricardo Costa to Wolfsburg. The shrewd signings of Mario Bolatti, Ernesto Farias and Mariano Gonzalez kept the balance of power firmly with FC Porto and the old fox Ferreira led Porto to another Last 16 finish in the Champions League plus another Portuguese Championship. The best was yet to come from Ferreiras Porto, when in 2008-2009, despite the sales of Pablo A suncao to Atletico Madrid, Marek Cech to West Brom, Bosingwa to Chelsea and Quaresma to Inter Milan, they managed another Portuguese League title with 70 points, plus a Portuguese Cup victory and a Quarter Final Champions League finish, knocked-out by a stunning goal from Cristiano Ronaldo in the Dragao after impre sing at Old Trafford. That year saw Ferreira make some of his best signings in the transfer market with Hulk arriving Mark Grace Jersey from the Far East, Aly Ci sokho from Vitoria, Fernando from Amadora, Cristian Rodriguez from Benfica and Rolando from Belenenses.Saviolas Benfica lead the way this seasonThis season, the race for the Portuguese Liga title is wide-open with the impre sive Benfica, rejuvenated with the arrivals of Pablo Aimar and Javier Saviola, leading the way having played a game more than both Braga and FC Porto. The Archbishops of Braga are raising eyebrows by currently occupying second-place in the table, but only a point behind Benfica. Ferreiras Brandon Kintzler Jersey Porto are in third position, with 8 points le s than Benfica but 12 ahead of Sporting Lisbon which means they can fully focus on catching the Eagles at the top. It has taken FC Porto a while to get going this season with Lisandro Lopez and Aly Ci sokho joining Lyon, Lucho Gonzalez joining Marseille and Sebastien Prediger joining Boca Juniors. The new signings of Ian Happ Jersey Radamel Falcao, Fernando Belluschi and Ruben Micael have taken a while to settle but are now finding form ahead of the latter Champions League rounds.Ferreiras Porto should test Arsenal in upcoming Champions League tieWithout doubt, Jose Mourinhos succe s at FC Porto will be remembered forever by the fans there but Jesualdo Ferreiras spell since 2006 has been extremely impre sive. Mourinho never had to deal with Portos transfer strategy of selling for big money, and being forced to sign a replacement. Ferreiras ability to keep a squad settled and still keep silverware at the Estadio Dragao is admirable.