Soccer:Chelsea this morning confirmed the appointment of former Porto coach Andre Villas-Boas as their new manager after paying a €15 million buyout clause yesterday. The 33-year-old has signed a three-year contract with the Stamford Bridge club after resigning from his post with Porto.

A statement on the Chelsea website read: “Andre was the outstanding candidate for the job. He is one of the most talented young managers in football today and has already achieved much in a relatively short space of time.”

Chelsea, who have now installed their seventh manager since billionaire Roman Abramovich took over the club in 2003, are very familiar with Villas Boas thanks to his time under Jose Mourinho.

While he may not have Champions League success on his resume, unlike Mourinho or Ancelotti, Villas Boas has rapidly developed into one of Europe's brightest young coaches after an unconventional route into the game. His tactical flair was spotted by the late Bobby Robson, the experienced former England coach who first came into contact with him while in charge of Porto.

A keen 16-year-old student of the game, Villas Boas wrote to Robson asking why he was not selecting striker Domingos. Impressed by the teenager's passion, Robson helped him take coaching courses and introduced him to Mourinho who hired Villas Boas as a scout on his appointment as Porto coach in 2002.

Villas Boas also worked under Mourinho at Inter Milan, before helping Academica Coimbra avoid relegation from the Portuguese Premier League after starting his career as head coach at the club in October 2009. He became the youngest coach ever to win a European club competition when Porto beat compatriots Braga to triumph in the Europa League at the Aviva Stadium last month.

His rampant Porto team also became the first side since 1978 to finish the Portuguese league season undefeated, clinching the title with a win at their rivals Benfica's Luz Stadium.

Andre Villas-Boas

*Played at amateur level in regional leagues, and according to one of his coaches was a busy midfielder who showed an early interest in tactics. Never played professionally, opting instead to take coaching courses while he completed a university degree in humanities.

*As a 16-year-old Porto fan, Villas Boas contacted the club's then manager Bobby Robson and questioned his team selection. The former England coach was impressed with the teenager's passion, helping him take coaching courses and introduced him to his assistant Jose Mourinho.

* He stayed at Porto after Robson moved to Barcelona and coached at youth level until taking a job as coach of the British Virgin Islands national team in 2000.

* He returned to Porto in 2001 and became a scout under new head coach Mourinho in 2002.

*He followed Mourinho to Chelsea in 2004, working as an opposition scout at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea won two Premier League titles, one FA Cup and two League Cups under Mourinho.

*Villas-Boas then followed Mourinho to Inter Milan, where he stayed for one season, in which they won the Serie A title, before leaving in 2009.

*He joined Portuguese club Academica as head coach in October 2009 with the club bottom of the Portuguese championship and without a win.

*He helped Academica climb away from the relegation zone to finish 11th.

*He joined Porto as head coach in June 2010 on a two-year deal and signed a one-year contract extension in December 2010 that included a €15 million release clause.

*He made a winning start by beating champions Benfica 2-0 to win the Portuguese Supercup.

*Combining defensive solidity, midfield possession and creative flair in attack, Porto became the first team since 1978 to finish the season undefeated.

*Villas Boas became the youngest coach to win a Uefa competition when Porto defeated Braga 1-0 to clinch the Europa League and he completed a treble by winning the Portuguese championship and cup.

*Praised by Porto players for his friendly style, motivational skills and meticulous analysis of opponents that he perfected during his days as observer and scout for Mourinho.

*Though not as controversial as the self-proclaimed "Special One", Villas Boas is no less confident or assertive, using so-called mind games similar to Mourinho's to help his team and creating a siege mentality against a sometimes critical press.

*Some commentators say he is more akin to Barcelona's Pep Guardiola both in terms of temperament - calm and collected - and tactics, with his Porto side deploying a high-pressure and passing style used by the Catalan team.