Stamford Bridge curtain call?
At 62, Jose Mourinho may no longer feel “Special,” but his Champions League visit with Benfica to Chelsea has the air of a last dance. His longevity, and knack for reappearing in big jobs, keeps the script open, yet this reunion resonates most with the supporters who once adored him more than any others. Porto forged his name; at Chelsea he declared, “I’m a special one,” and delivered league titles in both spells (2004–2007, 2013–2015).
The myth and the man after Madrid
Those close to him say the bruising Real Madrid stint (2010–2013)—shadowed by Guardiola’s Barcelona and dressing-room clashes, hardened his edges and dimmed the bravado. Since then, each move has felt a step down, culminating in Fenerbahçe before his surprise Benfica return. Still, the record of 17 major honours in eight years, two Champions Leagues, six domestic titles, demands perspective.
How he bent English football
When Mourinho arrived, Arsenal’s “Invincibles” and Ferguson’s United ruled the roost. Backed by Roman Abramovich’s spending but driven by a ferocious culture and detail, Chelsea’s 2005–2006 back-to-back titles reset the Premier League’s competitive tempo. Ferguson later admitted Mourinho forced him to retool United, fitter, faster starters from matchday one, while Wenger’s Arsenal won just one major trophy across the following decade.
Players’ verdicts: unmatched detail, polarising edge
John Terry has called him the best he worked with. Frank Lampard highlighted training sessions planned to the minute, a standard modern players now expect. Others, Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos, Paul Pogba, Luke Shaw, experienced the more confrontational side. When United dismissed him in 2018, Ole Gunnar Solskjær was cast as the “anti-venom,” yet Chelsea fans tend to forgive when he returns to the technical area.
Legacy that outlived the stardust
No club outside the big five leagues has repeated Porto 2004, a testament to the scale of that triumph. Two decades on, his first Chelsea team (Čech, Terry, Lampard, Drogba) is still underappreciated among Premier League greats. Whatever happens on Tuesday, the occasion revives the simple truth: for a defining stretch, Jose Mourinho wasn’t just box office, he changed the game’s script.
