‘I’ll always be a Blue’, says Mourinho

New Benfica manager Jose Mourinho said he will “always be a Blue” as he returned to Stamford Bridge for a Champions League clash with Chelsea.

Mourinho won three Premier League titles with Chelsea in two spells and is managing in Portugal again for the first time since winning the Champions League with Porto in 2004.

“Of course I will always be a Blue,” Mourinho said with a grin.

“I am part of their history and they are part of my history. I helped them become a bigger Chelsea and they helped me to become a bigger Jose.”

Mourinho had two spells with Chelsea, firstly from 2004-07 when he breezed into English football, utterly charmed it and was a breath of fresh air. His second stint from 2013-15 was not as successful but did include a third Premier League title.

No wonder he is still revered by fans in this part of southwest London — and honored with pictures dotted around the suite where he was speaking inside Stamford Bridge to reporters.

It will be an emotional return to London for Mourinho, who still wanted to assure Benfica fans of one thing.

“It will be my Chelsea until the start. It will be my Chelsea after the game. During the game, that’s my Benfica and that’s all that matters,” he said.

“After 25 years I was expecting to go back to Portugal to the national team, not to Benfica. And I’m back to Benfica. So I don’t have career projects, I don’t try to think what can happen or cannot happen. The important thing is you give everything where you are.”