The off-field allure of Jose Mourinho (video)

Jose Mourinho’s prospective return to Chelsea has been one of the worst kept secrets in football for some time now. A big part of his allure, aside from the mountain of trophies, is his post-match interviews, and the dignity he often displays (eye-poking aside).

Who can forget the wake of the Champions League encounter between his Real Madrid side and Man United? His insistence that United should not have lost struck a chord with many who wrongly assumed that he was posturing for the Old Trafford job, if and when Fergie retired (this summer as it happens, but Moyes has beaten him to it).

Minds are cast back to Mourinho’s introduction to English football in 2004, and his proclamation that he was indeed the ‘Special One’. Since that moment, the press were hooked, and one can only assume there was rarely room to breathe in the Stamford Bridge press room during his spell in charge

Few could argue that Mourinho’s teams play the swashbuckling football often favoured in today’s game, yet there is nobody the majority of Chelsea fans would prefer. Ancelotti, Hiddink, and especially Di Matteo were all taken to the heart, but none more so than Roman Abramovic’s first true love. With Mourinho it is often more about off-the-pitch style than on-the-pitch style – a sense of communal identity that the best managers always give their club.

Here is a reminder of why he has always remained King of the Bridge.