Getty ImagesHis love for the beautiful game may have started on a school pitch in the north-east of England, but Jimmy Hagan found his greatest footballing success in far sunnier climes.
The Washington-born player would go on to become a celebrated and hugely successful manager of Portuguese giants Benfica, leading them to three consecutive titles in the early 1970s.
On Tuesday night, Jose Mourinho brings the latest Benfica side over from Lisbon to face Newcastle United in a Champions League group game at St James’ Park, 10 miles from where Hagan grew up.
Having been a youth player with Washington Colliery and Usworth Colliery, Hagan joined Derby County aged 15.
But the inside forward found wide acclaim with Sheffield United in a war-interrupted 20-year spell at Bramall Lane beginning in 1938.
The war years saw him play and score for England several times, although he achieved just the one peacetime cap.
Getty ImagesAs Hagan’s long playing career came to an end, he took up the manager’s post at Peterborough who, shortly after, were elected to the Football League at the expense of Gateshead.
They promptly won the Fourth Division title at the first attempt amid an avalanche of goals.
He went on to lead West Bromwich Albion to victory in the 1966 League Cup, but fan Ged Parker, from the Washington History Society, said Portugal was when Hagan’s talent really shone.
“His was probably one of the greatest successes by any British-born manager on the continent,” said Mr Parker.
“With Benfica, Hagan had the second highest win rate in the club’s history.”
As well as a Portuguese cup triumph, the Wearsider led Benfica to three successive league titles at the start of the 1970s.
Mr Parker described Hagan as “probably the second greatest” player and coach to have come from the North East after Bobby Robson.
Getty ImagesHowever, it could be argued that at home he remains one of the sport’s forgotten heroes.
While the great Eusebio unveiled a bronze statue of Hagan at Bramall Lane in 2001, three years after his death, he has never received a similar honour in his native North East.
These days Benfica are led by another managerial force of nature, Jose Mourinho, who Newcastle boss Eddie Howe called a “visionary”.
“Jose’s someone that broke the mould in terms of how you manage and do things in different ways,” he said.
“It’s incredible really, what he’s achieved in his career.”
Howe said he thinks Mourinho is one of the greatest managers of all time.
Fans of Jimmy Hagan will know that if the current Benfica boss can match the achievements of the Washington wizard, Lisbon will agree he could well be a Special One.
