Chelsea Always Had Love for Jose Mourinho

Jose Mourinho remains indelibly etched in Chelsea's history. Wherever he's been, whatever club he's managed, when he returns to Stamford Bridge in London, Chelsea fans always welcome him with open arms. The anthem for the "Special One" always resonates.

The same situation occurred in the match between Chelsea and Benfica in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday (1/10/2025 WIB) at Stamford Bridge. Mourinho is coaching Benfica, the Portuguese team, which he has been managing since September 18.

The battle with "The Blue" marks the debut of the legendary 62-year-old tactician in the Champions League with Benfica. Mourinho also returns to the Champions League since his last tenure with Tottenham Hotspur until the round of 16 in the 2019-2020 edition.

In their comeback match at Stamford Bridge and in the Champions League, Mourinho failed to deliver a win for Benfica. The home team, Chelsea, took a 1-0 lead through an own goal by Benfica midfielder Richard Rios after just 18 minutes.

Benfica has yet to earn points in Europe. Mourinho experienced his first defeat in his second tenure managing "The Eagles," the nickname for Benfica. In the three previous domestic matches, Mourinho secured two victories and one draw.

However, the final result does not seem to disturb Mourinho much. He greatly enjoys returning to his home, Stamford Bridge. The place where he lifted three Premier League trophies that he cherishes in his coaching career.

Outside of the 90-minute match, Mourinho also reminisced with several Chelsea staff members who have been with him since he first arrived in London on June 3, 2013. One retired Chelsea staff member, Brian Pullman, approached Mourinho at the press conference table after the match.

Pullman is an employee in the media sector of Chelsea who has served the Blues for 56 years. He retired in 2024. Specifically for Mourinho, he returned to the Stamford Bridge press conference room, which he frequented almost daily for decades.

Mourinho, who was about to leave the press conference, smiled broadly upon seeing Pullman on the right side of the table. Without further ado, he immediately asked.

"Where's my favorite biscuit?" said Mourinho, referring to the custard cream biscuit that was his favorite request to Pullman at every press conference as Chelsea manager.

As if already well acquainted with the behavior of his former boss, Pullman immediately handed a biscuit on a white tissue to Mourinho. Upon receiving the biscuit, Mourinho smiled and promptly ate it. The two then walked out of the press conference room while embracing each other.

During a session to monitor the condition of the stadium and the field on Monday (29/9/2025), Mourinho was also seen embracing one of Chelsea's loyal staff members, Thresa Conneely. In fact, Conneely was willing to wait for Mourinho to speak with Benfica staff in the corridor leading to the Stamford Bridge pitch.

Mourinho immediately beamed upon seeing Conneely. He gave the Portuguese a warm hug. They chatted with smiles.

Not only the staff, but Mourinho also greeted and conversed with his former protégé, Joe Cole, who is a commentator for TNT Sports, for the match between Chelsea and Benfica.

"Joe Cole always speaks well of me, whether I do good or bad things. Joe is my Joe. He is the best pundit in history," said Mourinho about Cole, who played in 124 matches under his management.

Cole stated that Mourinho's influence cannot be rivaled at Chelsea. "He is the Shankly (Bill Shankly, the legendary manager of Liverpool) for Chelsea. He always leaves a mark and a legacy. To this day, I still feel his presence here (at Chelsea)," Cole remarked.

Mourinho is undoubtedly the most successful manager in Chelsea's history. A total of eight trophies have been presented during his 2,134 days in charge as the manager of the Blues over two periods.

On average, he won one trophy for Chelsea every 267 days. Although he failed to deliver the Champions League trophy to Chelsea, Mourinho paved the way for Chelsea to elevate from a mediocre team to a new giant in England and Europe in the early 2000s.

The love of Chelsea supporters who came directly to Stamford Bridge grew even more intense when Mourinho visited the Benfica supporters' stand in the 40th minute.

Mourinho attempted to calm the visiting supporters who were throwing mineral water bottles at Chelsea midfielder Enzo Maresca, who was purchased from Benfica, as he was about to take a corner kick.

"Of course, I thank (the fans) for their reaction and welcome to me," Mourinho said, as reported by the BBC.

"I hope to return here in 20 years with my grandchildren. They (Chelsea) are part of my life history, and I also have a part in their history," he said.

Mourinho has always had an enduring connection with Chelsea. When the world hated him, only Chelsea remained devoted to the maestro.