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Former Chelsea and Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas has been confirmed as president of Porto after a landslide election victory.
The 46-year-old has not managed a club since leaving his last role with Marseille in February 2021.
Villas-Boas, who took charge of 81 top flight matches in England between 2011 and 2013, secured a return to his former club Porto with a stunning election victory.
Villas-Boas appeared outside his campaign headquarters wearing a Porto shirt and scarf, leading his supporters by chanting ‘Porto’.
Andre Villas-Boas has been elected as the new president of Porto after winning an election
The ex-Chelsea and Tottenham boss received 80.3 per cent of the vote to become president
Villas-Boas was seen celebrating the election win wildly while wearing a Porto shirt and holding a club scarf
The 46-year-old claimed after his election victory that ‘Porto is free again’.
‘I am very happy, proud and honored by this opportunity that you give me,’ Villas-Boas said, as reported by Portuguese newspaper Record.
‘I hope to meet the demands of all Porto fans, which is to win, win titles and sustain our club for the future, which is the most important thing.
‘This is the FC Porto that we all want and need: strong, reinvigorated, with race and where the members dictated its change today and face the challenges that lie ahead.
‘We will need to maintain our courage to fight on and off the pitch to regain the place that is ours by destiny.
‘We have a long mission ahead of us. I work hard in a house that has to be structured, tidy and organised.
‘Let there be no doubt that today FC Porto is free again.’
Villas-Boas, who will serve a four-year term, claimed he would help to restructure the club
The 46-year-old told supporters that Porto ‘is free again’ after becoming club president
Villas-Boas is expected to be in the stands for Porto’s home match against Sporting on Sunday
Villas-Boas succeeds Pinto da Costa, who had the backing of the club’s Ultras ahead of the election.
Pinto da Costa had overseen Porto’s rise from mediocrity to a European powerhouse.
They had won four titles in 42 years before Pinto da Costa became president. Yet, during his reign, which is the longest in world football, the Dragons have won 23 Primeira Liga titles, the UEFA Champions League in 2004 under Jose Mourinho, the UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League.
Villas-Boas thanked his predecessor for ‘everything he gave to Porto’ and said the club would ‘always be his home’.
The new Porto president is expected to be in the stands for Porto’s clash with Sporting Lisbon on Sunday evening.
He admitted ‘we’ll see’ when asked whether he would require security to do so, having allegedly been the target of intimidation in recent months. He alleged in November that an employee of his was left hospitalised and had property stolen.
Porto head into the match against league leaders Sporting third in the table, 18 points adrift of the visitors.
As Porto boss, Villas-Boas became the youngest manager to win a European trophy, leading the club to the Europa League as a 33-year-old back in 2011.
Porto completed an unbeaten league campaign the same season, with the league and Portuguese cup completing a Treble.
Villas-Boas succeeds Pinto da Costa, pictured in 2009, who has been president for 42 years
Villas-Boas won three trophies during his only season as Porto manager in 2011-12
Porto are currently third in the table with the club 18 points behind leaders Sporting Lisbon
This led to him being named Chelsea manager, but he lasted just eight months at Stamford Bridge before being sacked and replaced by Roberto Di Matteo.
Tottenham called upon his services just four months later, but within 18 months he departed the north London outfit after a disappointing start to the 2013-14 season.
Since leaving Spurs he has gone on to manage Zenit Saint Petersburg, Shanghai SIPG and Marseille.
Villas-Boas has also tried his luck at rally car racing, competing in the Dakar Rally in 2018.
