Jose Mourinho has recounted some of the biggest games of his career, including a Porto performance that led Chelsea to hire him.
He may now be at the helm of Benfica, but 20-odd years ago, Jose Mourinho was Mr. Porto.
We all know what happened once Mourinho arrived at Stamford Bridge. He remains Chelsea’s most iconic manager, loved by the fans even after stints with two other Premier League clubs.
But how did he end up at Stamford Bridge?
A famous Champions League trophy with the Portuguese giants shot Mourinho into superstardom, but according to the man himself, it was a match earlier in the campaign that spurred Chelsea to pursue his services.
Deportivo La Coruna v FC Porto
Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Jose Mourinho’s win over Manchester United at Old Trafford
You can likely picture the famous scene of Mourinho running down the touchline to celebrate a last-minute winner with his Porto players.
That was in the second leg of their Round of 16 tie against Manchester United.
A 90th-minute equaliser from Costinha broke the hearts of the Old Trafford faithful and booked Porto’s spot in the quarter final, winning 3-2 on aggregate.
🗓️ ON THIS DAY IN 2004:
Porto knocked Man United out of the Champions League at Old Trafford, and an iconic Jose Mourinho celebration was born 🇵🇹 pic.twitter.com/53Mxass5ZX
— SPORTbible (@sportbible) March 9, 2023
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Mourinho sat down with the UEFA YouTube channel to play ‘Guess the Game’, where his victory gallop was the first clip shown.
He recalls: “Old Trafford, big jacket, big run. I think it’s the match that opened the door to the Premier League. The fact that was England, Old Trafford, Portuguese club knocking out Manchester at Old Trafford and then the crazy young guy running at the touch line.
“And then after this match next week, I had two English clubs knocking on my door.”
Though Mourinho doesn’t reveal who the other Premier League club was, it’s proof that this legendary moment against one of Chelsea’s main competitors at the time was enough for Roman Abramovich to go after him.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
Mourinho unbeaten at Benfica, except for…
As much admiration as Mourinho still has for Chelsea, he will be annoyed that his old club handed him his only loss at Benfica so far.
That cagey 1-0 Chelsea win at the Bridge is the only stain on what has been a flying start in Lisbon.
It’s a record which faces a rather significant challenge this week, as Benfica travel to St James’ Park for a Champions League clash with Newcastle.
While Chelsea managed to fend off Mourinho, he has a proven record of taking Portuguese sides to England and winning. Let’s see if he can do it again on Tuesday.