Remembering The Special One’s Arrival at Chelsea

When Jose Mourinho made his first press conference as Chelsea manager in 2004, he asked the press not to call him arrogant for believing he was “The Special One”. That nickname has stuck with him throughout his managerial career.


Mourinho had every right to arrive in England with a swagger, as he had just won the UEFA Champions League with Porto. That was his second consecutive European trophy, as he also lifted the UEFA Europa League 12 months earlier with the Portuguese champions.

In his first season at Chelsea, Mourinho won the Premier League and League Cup double. His side defended their crown in the league a season later, while in the 2006-07 campaign, they won the FA Cup.

Mourinho won 124 matches in 185 games before he left Stamford Bridge in September 2007. That gave him an impressive 67.03% win rate, and above all else, Chelsea fans were left with some fantastic memories.

Frank Lampard, John Terry, Didier Drogba and many others all excelled under Mourinho. They were involved in some great battles with Barcelona in the Champions League, and although they never won the trophy, they consistently reached the latter stages of the premier European competition.

Second Spell with the Blues

The "Special One" returned to Chelsea in 2013 for a second spell in charge of the club. He won the Premier League in the second year of that tenure along with the EFL Cup. That led to him being named the Premier League Manager of the Year in 2015. His side lost just three league games that season, prevailing by eight points ahead of Manchester City.


Antonio Conte reached 65 wins in his first 100 Premier League matches.

Only Mourinho and Pep are above him with more 😏 pic.twitter.com/LlUYMr8x1U

— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) May 2, 2022

Unfortunately for the Portuguese manager, his second spell did not last long in West London. His side got off to a poor start to the 2015/16 campaign, and he left by mutual consent. Spells followed at Manchester United and Tottenham, but he was unable to win the Premier League with either of those two clubs.

Chelsea Need Another Special One

Since he left the club in 2015, Chelsea have won the Premier League title just once. Antonio Conte delivered them the trophy in 2016. They did, however, win the Champions League in 2021, when interim boss Roberto Di Matteo was in charge.

Mauricio Pochettino is the latest man to be in charge at Chelsea and his side are as big as 100/1 in the Bwin sports betting for the Premier League title this season. They have not got off to a great start, but the Argentine will be hoping his side can have a strong finish to the campaign.


Chelsea could only finish 12th last season in the standings. That was their worst finish to a Premier League campaign since 1994. It also means they have no European football to contend with this season for the first time in seven years.

Mourinho was named as A.S. Roma manager in 2021, and he will be hoping to add to his honours this season in Serie A, domestic cup competitions and the UEFA Europa League.


©The Football History Boys, 2023

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