Jose Mourinho may not be as special as before, but the Benfica coach will still be the center of attention when he steps up to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea.
With a surprise return to Benfica earlier this month, the Champions League match against the old club was like a closing match, witnessed by fans who had full faith and affection for him.
FC Porto is the place that helped Mourinho build his name, winning 6 major titles, including the Champions League and UEFA Cup. But it was at Chelsea that he really asserted himself to the world, declaring to anyone who wanted to hear that he was "Special".
"Please don't call me an arrogant person. But I am the European champion and I think I am special," Mourinho said at his first press conference as Chelsea manager in July 2004.
Mourinho has received countless compliments, both positive and criticism, and he will return to Chelsea despite his beauty since 2004 being far behind. However, it is easy to fall into the trap of considering Mourinho a failure, hot-tempered, disruptive and hateful person, just because his success cycles are getting less and less in the second half of his career.
Sources familiar with Mourinho before and after his time as Real Madrid head coach (2010-2013) said his personality has changed after a difficult period at Santiago Bernabeu. The rise of Pep Guardiola and Barcelona, along with conflicts with influential players in the dressing room, has overshadowed the inherent ostentation and forced Mourinho's fighting spirit and determination to come out more clearly.
Since leaving Madrid, Mourinho's success has been declining in every team he has led. The last time he was appointed against Benfica was at Fenerbahce in the Turkish Super Lig - a destination that Mourinho at the top probably never thought of.
However, his return to Chelsea - where he returned during his spells as manager of Inter Milan, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur - is a reminder of his influence and important role in his peak years. He has won a total of 17 major titles, including 2 Champions League titles and 6 domestic titles in 8 years.
Since then, no one has been able to get close to Mourinho's success in the 2004 Champions League against Porto. Every championship team after that has come from the top 5 European leagues and he himself has forever changed the landscape of the Premier League.
At that time, Arsene Wenger's Arsenal had just made an invincible feat of winning the Premier League without losing a single match. With Thierry Henry as inspiration, this team is expected to dominate English football along with Sir Alex Ferguson's Man United.
However, Mourinho's Chelsea won back-to-back titles in 2005 and 2006 with a powerful squad of Petr Cech, John personal, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba. However, two decades later, they have often been unfairly overlooked in the list of great Premier League teams.
Although Mourinho has become one of the most controversial figures in football, the players who were successful under him during his peak are all of the best coaches they have ever worked with.
"The details he brought to Chelsea were really improved at the time. Each session is meticulously planned and structured down to every detail, helping you understand what you are doing from the beginning.
I have never seen that clearly before. Before, you just come to work out and everything happens on your own. I certainly appreciate that as a player, and that is also what modern players expect today" - former Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard said.
