Villas-Boas worked under Mourinho for six years at Porto, Chelsea and Inter Milan before pursuing a career in management in 2009.
The 38-year-old acknowledges Mourinho took his career to another level but admits there is a darker side to his Portuguese compatriot.
Villas-Boas, now in charge at Zenit Saint Petersburg after failed spells at Chelsea and Tottenham, has suggested an argument with the Manchester United boss during their time at Inter forced him to break away.
“In my formative moments working with Jose was the best time of my life," he said at the Aspire Academy Global Summit on __football Performance and Science.
"I was able to learn so many things and working with him takes you to another level. You fall in love with him and he becomes your idol.
"I wanted to be like him, know everything that he knew and absorb all the information he was giving.
"Then you fall on the wrong side of Jose and that’s when things change and you realise that you’ve been blinded by someone.
"He has this fascinating capability of getting the best out of you, which has good or bad consequences for people.
“My consequences were that as a result of the argument or disagreement we had, I started my coaching career.”