Jose Mourinho’s tenure at Chelsea spanned from 2004 to 2007 and again from 2013 to 2015.
Former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has declared he “will always be a Blue,” while simultaneously expressing his desire for Benfica to triumph over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in Tuesday’s Champions League match.
During his two stints as manager, Chelsea secured seven major trophies, including three Premier League titles, an FA Cup, and three League Cups.
Mourinho, 62, also boasts managerial experience in the Premier League with Manchester United and Tottenham. He commenced this season leading Turkish side Fenerbahce, who dismissed him in August, preceding his return to former club Benfica earlier this month.
He has recorded two wins and a draw in his first three matches since rejoining Benfica, the club where he initiated his managerial career in 2000.
“I will always be a Blue,” Mourinho stated when questioned about his connection with Chelsea. “I am part of their history. They are part of my history. I helped them to become a bigger Chelsea, and they helped me to become a bigger Jose.”
“It will be my Chelsea before the start of the game and after the game but during the game it’s my Benfica and that’s all that matters.”
“When I say I am not a Blue, I am only speaking about the job I have to do tomorrow.”
Images of Jose Mourinho holding trophies adorn the wall in Chelsea’s Drake Suite, with current manager Enzo Maresca pictured in conversation with one of them in the background.
Mourinho secured Champions League titles with Porto in 2004 and Inter Milan in 2010.
As Fenerbahce boss, he experienced a 1-0 aggregate defeat to Benfica in August during the Champions League play-off round, leading to his dismissal two days later.
However, Benfica suffered a 3-2 home loss to Azerbaijani side Qarabag in their opening league phase match, subsequently resulting in the sacking of Bruno Lage and Mourinho’s appointment.
Mourinho, whose career also includes stints at Real Madrid and Roma, expressed that he did not anticipate taking another position in club football.
“After 25 years [of coaching] I was expecting to go back to Portugal through the national team, not Benfica, and I’m back to Benfica so I don’t have a career project,” said Mourinho. “I don’t try to think what can happen or what cannot happen.”
“The important thing is giving everything. Now I’m in Benfica and very happy. It’s a big responsibility, even for a guy like me of years in football. Benfica is a huge responsibility for different reasons.”
Chelsea won the Club World Cup in the summer and the Conference League in May, with Mourinho calling them a “winning machine.”
He added: “They won something before my time, then we started winning and kept winning.”
Nizaar Kinsella – Football reporter
Mourinho, the self-proclaimed ‘Special One’, entered the Drake Suite quietly, greeting the diverse international media – three times larger than the group that welcomed Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca – with a simple “Ciao”.
The room – a hospitality space honouring Chelsea’s title-winning managers – features three photographs of Mourinho hoisting each of his three Premier League trophies, alongside images of Carlo Ancelotti and Antonio Conte. Relaxed and charismatic, he joked with player Dodi Lukebakio, who briefly answered questions before the main event.
A host of Chelsea staff made a special effort to see returning former manager Jose Mourinho back at Stamford Bridge.
They witnessed a media conference masterclass. Asked in Portuguese about the photos on the wall, he said: “I’m not a Blue any more. I’m a Red now and want to win.”
However, when asked a similar question in English, he replied: “I will always be a Blue. I am part of their history. They are part of my history. I helped them to become a bigger Chelsea. And they helped me to become a bigger Jose. When I say I am not a Blue, I am only speaking about the job I have to do tomorrow.”
Those comments also appeared to show that Mourinho is ready to accept legend status and adulation from the home supporters on Tuesday, despite spells at Tottenham and Manchester United.
He made an effort to speak to each individual he knew from his last spell in English football, before having an hour-long training session in front of the cameras on the pitch at Stamford Bridge.
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