On This Day: Chelsea appoint Jose Mourinho for first time as 'The Special One' changes Premier League forever
On this day 16 years ago, Jose Mourinho was appointed by Chelsea and the Premier League changed forever.
"We have top players and, sorry if I'm arrogant, we have a top manager," was his response when asked about his new role at Stamford Bridge on June 2, 2004
Fresh from guiding Porto to Champions League triumph, Mourinho then added: "I am European champion, I am not one of the bottle. I think I am a special one."
It made English football sit up the take notice. As Sir Alex Ferguson would later recall in his autobiography: "The first time I recognised Jose Mourinho as a potential threat was at his opening press conference as Chelsea manager ... 'What a cheeky young sod', I thought."
Mourinho was the hottest property in Europe and exactly the type of figure Roman Abramovich wanted for his free-spending club after near-misses under Claudio Ranieri, sacked three days prior despite leading them to their best ever Premier League and Champions League performance.
Abramovich's sacking of Ranieri was deemed ruthless at the time, but it was a wise choice as, with a hefty transfer budget, Mourinho delivered the success that his Russian owner craved.
He delivered back-to-back Premier League titles, an FA Cup and a League Cup before leaving in 2007. He returned six years later and won a third Premier League crown.
His relationship with Chelsea appeared to break beyond repair after subsequent jobs at Manchester United and Tottenham.
Jose Mourinho managerial honours
Porto
Primeira Liga (2002–03 and 2003–04)
Champions League (2003–04)
Uefa Cup (2002–03)
Taca de Portugal (2002–03)
Supertaca Candido de Oliveira (2003)
Chelsea
Premier League (2004–05, 2005–06 and 2014–15)
FA Cup (2006–07)
Football League Cup (2004–05, 2006–07 and 2014–15)
Community Shield (2005)
Inter Milan
Serie A (2008–09 and 2009–10)
Uefa Champions League (2009–10)
Coppa Italia (2009–10)
Supercoppa Italiana (2008)
Real Madrid
La Liga (2011–12)
Copa del Rey (2010–11)
Spanish Supercopa (2012)
Manchester United
Europa League (2016–17)
EFL Cup (2016–17)
FA Community Shield (2016)
