Andre Villas-Boas left reporters stunned as he offered his resignation as Marseille boss live at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, but it’s not the first time he’s shown a moment of madness.
The 43-year-old, who was sacked subsequent to his outburst, has also tried his luck at a Dakar Rally based in Peru, clashed with former Sportsmail reporter Neil Ashton over his ‘integrity’ and has managing in Japan at the top of his bucket list.
Indeed, the Portuguese has experienced a journey like no other in his relatively short managerial career.
With that in mind, Sportsmail relive some of his more notable moments.
Andre Villas-Boas was sacked by Marseille after offering to resign live at a press conference
The manager was furious after Marseille signed Oliver Ntchmam from Celtic behind his back
AVB resigns as Marseille boss
We start in the present, as Villas-Boas offered some extraordinary insight into the behind-the-scenes at Marseille.
In a stunning press conference, the Portuguese insisted he had actively opted against the acquisition of Olivier Ntcham, before waking up to see the French club had signed the midfielder on deadline day.
Ntcham, brought in on loan from Celtic, was signed to replace key midfielder Morgan Sanson, who was sold for £15.5million to Aston Villa last month.
Meanwhile, Marseille are in a period of immense pressure, sat ninth in the table, 10 points off the top four and 16 off the summit – albeit with a couple of games in hand.
The supporters have been less than accepting of Marseille’s current form, recently marching to the club’s training ground in protest, forcing a postponement of their game against Rennes after throwing flares and setting fire to trees.
Speaking at the press conference, Villas-Boas said: ‘It was not a decision that I took. It was specifically a player that I said no to. I was not aware of it, I learned of the signing when I woke up and went on the No 1 Marseille website.
‘I like Marseille but I am a professional. When you want to give me a guy (Ntcham) who has no similarities with the characteristics of the guy (Sanson) who left… A gentlemen’s agreement about bringing players in has been broken.
‘I offered my resignation through saying that I was not in agreement with the sporting strategy. The board has not yet given me feedback. I do not want money, I just want to leave.’
Villas-Boas got his wish shortly after, with the former Chelsea and Tottenham boss later dismissed from his role.
AVB withdraws from Dakar Rally after injury
Villas-Boas was forced out of the Dakar Rally debut after suffering an injury to his back
The Portuguese manager left his role as head of Shanghai SIPG to take part in the Rally
Football management is undoubtedly a stressful occupation. A brief sabbatical is nothing rare – just look at Pep Guardiola, who took a year out between his spells at Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
Villas-Boas took a slightly more unorthodox break from football, however. Aged 40, he left his role as head coach of Chinese side Shanghai SIPG to compete in the Dakar Rally.
Making his debut, Villas-Boas was forced to withdraw after hurting his back in Peru.
Driving a Toyota Hilux, he was two hours 18 minutes and 50 seconds behind the leader when he hit a sand dune, which took him out of the race prematurely.
He was taken to hospital as a precaution, and though no serious injuries were sustained, that was to be the end of his Dakar career.
AVB clashes with reporter Neil Ashton
Villas-Boas is expressive on the touchline and has clashed with reporters in press-conferences
Villas-Boas’ outburst on Tuesday was certainly unexpected, but it’s not the first time the Portuguese has dropped a bombshell at a press conference.
Back in 2013, he shared a fiery encounter with Neil Ashton, who had questioned his credentials following a 6-0 drubbing by Manchester City.
Asked to explain why he took the comments so personally, Villas-Boas said: ‘I think you have always chased people, you attack people. You don’t attack them by the front, you attack them sitting when you write.
‘You attack integrity, you attack competence, you attack the integrity of the person, their human values and you don’t even know that person. We never got a chance to sit down and speak about it.’
Ashton then insisted he would be happy to sit and speak about the situation, to which Villas-Boas responded: ‘Only when I give you that chance.
‘When I know you and you know me are you able to reach conclusions like the one you did. I think yours and Martin’s (Samuel) articles were completely out of order. That is my opinion.’
AVB’s intrigue in Japanese culture
AVB managed in Asia with Shanghai SIPG
In May of last year, Villas-Boas offered another interesting insight into his mindset when discussing his Marseille future.
In an interview with RMC, Villas-Boas then insisted he was determined to stay with Marseille and play in the Champions League.
Interestingly, given the events of Tuesday afternoon, Villas-Boas also outlined that he would have to meet with the club’s owners to discuss what investment he would be given.
‘We are not naive enough to forget the economic situation of the club,’ he said.
However, the enigmatic coach also played down a potential return to the Premier League, revealing his interest in Japanese culture.
‘I have already said that they’re more likely to see me at the Dakar Rally than back in the Premier League or anywhere else,’ he said.
‘Geographically, I’d like to do Japan. I want to discover Japanese culture and Japanese football.’
As the latest chapter in Villas-Boas’ intriguing story unfolds, one thing is abundantly apparent: he is no ordinary football manager.
