A legend of English Football returns to Stamford Bridge tonight. No, not Sulley Muntari, but the ‘Special One’ himself, Jose Mourinho. Love him or loathe him, you can’t deny the Premier League has been a less interesting place since he left. His inimitable style of management cast a spell over English football during his time at Chelsea and, if certain reports are to be believed, it may not be too long before he makes a permanent return to these shores. Until then, Sport.co.uk takes a look at the greatest moments in the crazy world of Jose Mourinho…
1.Touchline Dash
When Porto scored a last gasp equaliser to knock Manchester United out of the Champions League in 2003, their manager set off on a manic dash down the touchline, and a nation of football fans asked ‘who is that nutter?’. Eight months later, that nutter joined Chelsea and the rest is history…
2. The ‘Special One’
In his first press conference as Chelsea manager, Mourinho uttered this immortal line; ‘Please don’t call me arrogant, but I’m European champion and I think I’m a special one’. A salivating British media had a new darling and ‘the Special One’ was born.
3. Shhh…
In the 2005 Carling Cup final against Liverpool Mourinho claimed his first trophy in English football, but he even managed to shroud this in controversy. After leading for most of the match, Liverpool fans were silenced by a Steven Gerrard own goal. With his index finger pressed to his lips, Mourinho suggested as much, and got himself sent immediately to the stands. He later claimed the gesture was directed at the press. Yeah Jose, and I’m a Russian billionaire…
4. Basket Case
In Chelsea’s 2005 Champions League quarter final with Bayern Munich, Mourinho was serving a UEFA-imposed ban that prevented him from speaking to his players. Such details were never going to bother the ‘Special One’, who, legend has it, brilliantly concealed himself in a laundry basket in order to get access to his squad. His side triumphed 4-2, and the scene is set to be immortalised in ‘Confessions of a Football Manager’…
5. Shower Time
‘I’ve never had a manager who, while I’m standing in the shower cleaning my balls tells me I’m the best player in the world. He did that.’ Few will thank Frank Lampard for the image conjured up by this quote, but it’s probably a fair indication of the relationship Mourinho would go on to have with the Chelsea players. Bouyed by the confidence boost, Lampard went on to score over 60 goals under his tenure.
6. I’m the Boss
Outside of playful shower time activities, though, Mourinho has always wanted everyone to know he is the boss, and this is born out in his reputation for bold substitutions. It didn’t always work – in March 2006, the Chelsea boss removed Shaun Wright-Philips and Joe Cole after just 26 minutes at Fulham, and his side still lost 1-0 – but in the long term it had the desired effect of demonstrating exactly who was in charge.
7. Canine Chaos
When Mourinho was arrested and cautioned by London police in 2007, it was fittingly farcical that a Yorkshire terrier named Leya should be at the centre of it. According to reports, Leya was facing quarantine when her illustrious owner seized the dog and implored her to race to freedom. With typical nonchalance, Mourinho dismissed the whole affair, later reporting; ‘my wife is in Portugal with the dog…so the City of London is safe, the big threat is away’.
8. Voyeur
Managerial squabbles have long been part of the game, but Mourinho took even these into new realms of absurdity. Arsene Wenger, in particular, faced the Portuguese’s unique brand of ire, being labelled a ‘voyeur’ for constantly moaning about Chelsea. ‘There are some guys who…have a big telescope to see what happens in other people’s families’, taunted Mourinho. Wenger later threatened legal action, and earned that rarest of things, a Jose Mourinho apology.
9. Eggs and Omelettes
Even for a man with a reputation for baffling press-conferences, this ramble was quite something; ‘In the supermarket you have class one, two or class three eggs and some are more expensive than others and some give you better omelettes. So when the class one eggs are in Waitrose and you cannot go there, you have a problem.’ The question, incidentally, concerned the reported lack of funds at Chelsea. But with poetry like that, who needs an explanation?
10. Ancelotti spat
At Inter Milan, our Portuguese friend is managing one half of one of the most tempestuous football rivalries in Europe, so you may think Mourinho would feel a duty to act as a cool head. Think again. A bitter war of words with Carlo Ancelotti, then AC Milan boss, only added spice to Serie A’s most heated fixture. Mourinho recently described his rival as ‘no friend of mine’, and at Stamford Bridge tonight, this one is sure to be continued…