The 2004 summer transfer window was a memorable one for Chelsea and set them on the path to winning the 2005 Premier League title.
Newly-appointed manager Jose Mourinho oversaw that window and brought in the likes of Didier Drogba and Petr Cech.
Cech played at Euro 2004 with the Czech Republic, but he was not the only Chelsea signing who featured at the tournament.
Portugal duo Paulo Ferreira and Ricardo Carvalho also made appearances at the European Championship, for example.
Portugal defender Ricardo Carvalho at Euro 2004
Photo by Andreas Rentz/Bongarts/Getty Images
Jose Mourinho thought Ricardo Carvalho was the best defender at Euro 2004
While Portugal went on to lose the final to Greece, Carvalho would have been happy with how his tournament went on a personal level.
He was so good that, in the end, Mourinho felt that he had no choice but to take his compatriot to Chelsea with him.
Mourinho managed Carvalho at Porto and then signed him after taking over at Stamford Bridge. For the Special One, Carvalho was the best defender at Euro 2004.
“Carvalho was the best defender at Euro 2004,” Mourinho was quoted as saying by Sky Sports. “He proved against England — first Michael Owen and then Darius Vassell — that nobody can beat him for pace.”
Owen was able to score an early goal against Portugal in England’s quarter-final clash, but after that, Carvalho and the rest of Luiz Felipe Scolari’s backline managed to keep him quiet.
At Chelsea, Carvalho struck up a great partnership with Owen’s England teammate John Terry, though the Portuguese has revealed that his former captain did have to tell him off now and again for going too far with the ball.
When Carvalho talked about his partnership with Terry earlier this year, he said: “I remember even John (Terry) would shout at me sometimes to stay back!”
John Terry and Michael Owen at England kit launch
Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images
Ricardo Carvalho on his move to Chelsea
Once Mourinho moved to Chelsea, Carvalho was already thinking about joining the Blues.
In an interview with Chelsea’s official club website in 2023, Carvalho said: “It was Mourinho who signed the contract first and I think at that point it was already in my head to join.”
Enzo Maresca would love to have a central defender like Carvalho right now. While the likes of Wesley Fofana, Benoit Badiashile and Trevoh Chalobah are not bad options, they are not on Carvalho’s level.