Jose Mourinho's Return to Stamford Bridge with Benfica
The dressing room was in shock.
As Jose Mourinho bid farewell to each player, some Chelsea players were in tears while others concealed their faces. It has been eighteen years since Mourinho's first tenure at the club ended, yet that "sad day" at the training ground remains vivid for Salomon Kalou.
Kalou, who played for Chelsea from 2006 to 2012, reflected, "It was not just a manager we were losing; it was a great person, a mentor, someone who was willing to help you and fight for you. The reason why he is the 'Special One' is because he affects people. He brings something very special to a club."
However, not all memories of Mourinho are as fond, particularly from his second stint at Chelsea and the various clubs he has managed since then. Nevertheless, Benfica hopes to rekindle that aura on the grand stage of the Champions League as Mourinho leads his new team back to Stamford Bridge on Tuesday.
At 62, Mourinho is not merely looking to participate in Europe’s elite competition; he aims to make a statement. Close friend Jose Peseiro remarked, "He wants to go and beat Chelsea to show everyone, 'I am here.'"
An Unexpected Opportunity
This opportunity seemed distant when Mourinho was dismissed by Fenerbahce last month. However, an unexpected chance arose sooner than anticipated, coming from the club that eliminated his former team in the Champions League qualifiers.
While in Barcelona with his wife Matilde, Mourinho received a call from Benfica president Rui Costa. "Is it worth talking?" Costa inquired, following the dismissal of Bruno Lage after a surprising defeat to Qarabag. This scenario highlighted the precarious situation Costa faced ahead of next month’s presidential elections.
Mourinho was receptive to the proposal. Costa later revealed in an interview with TVI that they agreed on a two-year contract worth approximately 3 million euros (£2.6 million) net initially, increasing to 4 million euros (£3.5 million) in the second season. This amount is significantly lower than what he earned at his peak.
The contract includes a break clause allowing either party to terminate the agreement ten days after the final match of the season if desired. Twenty-five years after his brief spell at Benfica, which began under one president and concluded with another, Mourinho is prepared to navigate another political storm in Lisbon.
This time, however, he is a much different figure than the relative novice who first managed a club in 2000. Few understand this transformation better than Jose Morais, who served as his assistant at Chelsea, Real Madrid, and Inter Milan. Morais stated, "Jose brings more than experience, ambition, and a winning mentality; he has the ability to shape a team into something greater than the sum of its parts. When he first came to Benfica, nobody really knew what he was capable of, yet he ignited a fire."
Mourinho has since accumulated 26 major trophies at Porto, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Manchester United, and Roma. However, it has been a decade since he last lifted a league title, and over five years since he managed a match in the Champions League proper, following a challenging stint at Fenerbahce. The question remains: can he truly recapture his former glory?
Still Brutally Honest
Mourinho's hair may be whiter now, but he has claimed to be "more altruistic" and "less egocentric," a statement that may amuse those who have followed his career. As Benfica's manager, he has even reached out to Porto president Andre Villas-Boas, a former colleague, insisting he has not returned to his homeland to "wage war." Yet, his competitive obsession remains.
Peseiro noted, "Others accept defeat, but he fights against it. Even now, he doesn’t accept losing. He lives for football. Normally, when you age, you come to terms with loss, but he remains the same. He has fewer friends because his focus is solely on football. He’s passionate and does not like to lose; he wants to win."
It is no surprise that in his first week at Benfica, Mourinho targeted the video assistant referee. He also confronted referee Sergio Guelho at halftime, questioning why Rio Ave's goalkeeper Cezary Miszta had not received a booking for time-wasting during a 1-1 draw. Furthermore, he has not hesitated to publicly critique his own team, labeling them "naive" after conceding a late equalizer.
Kalou, who joined Chelsea at the age of 20, quickly recognized Mourinho's straightforward nature. "What I liked most about him was his honesty. He never sugar-coated anything. As a player, I respected that," he recalled. Kalou experienced Mourinho's sharp tongue even after the manager's departure; after Kalou scored against Mourinho's Inter Milan team in 2010, he was approached by Mourinho on the Chelsea team bus, who said, "When you were with me, you didn’t score like this. Be careful!"
Football has evolved, but Mourinho has made it clear to his Benfica players that he will be "very direct." He has pledged to share both positive and negative feedback.
‘Jose’s Fire Has Not Dimmed’
A quirk of the fixture calendar means Mourinho is already preparing to lead his Benfica squad to Stamford Bridge. History suggests it is rarely uneventful when he is in the opposing dugout. During his time at Manchester United, he famously declared, "Judas was number one" after Chelsea fans turned on him. He has also held up three fingers to signify the number of titles he won with the club and took the Spurs job in 2019, despite previously claiming he could not do so because he "loved Chelsea supporters too much."
Consequently, it is not surprising that a photograph of Chelsea's most successful manager is absent from the legends wall outside Stamford Bridge, and his iconic Armani overcoat is no longer prominently featured in the club’s museum. Nevertheless, his contributions have not been forgotten. Season ticket holder Tim Rolls has predicted Mourinho will receive a "very positive" reception on Tuesday, stating, "He did so much for the club; he won three league titles and turned the club around. It’s 20 years since that first league title under him. I know he managed Spurs, but that was a while ago, and overall, he was a tremendous asset for Chelsea Football Club. I don’t expect any hostility at all."