Top 10 signings ever made by Jose Mourinho

Jose Mourinho is one of the most polarizing figures in world football. While his tendencies to 'park the bus' in big games are subject to plenty of jokes and also criticism by the media, the success he has had by doing so, prior to his United stint is undeniable.

It's not just his tactics that have been under scrutiny throughout his managerial career, but also the self-proclaimed Special One's unique way of handling the media. On one day it can be all smiles and laughs, whereas it could be completely different the next day.

Nevertheless, whenever Mourinho turns up at interviews and press conferences, he's most likely to provide another piece of formidable entertainment and he has become one of the most talked about managers in the history of football.

The Portuguese prides himself in the success he has had at every club he's managed, although he has often been criticized for bringing in too many players and placing too little faith in the youth. These accusations went so far that he revealed a list of the youth players he has promoted from academies throughout the years.

With the most recent addition of Alexis Sanchez, once more a homegrown player may be facing the prospect of significantly less playing time, this time it is Marcus Rashford.

Despite Mourinho's ways sometimes being questionable, his track record has proven that his ability to identify the players he needs to take his team to the next level is indeed that of a Special One. With that in mind, we take a look at Mourinho's ten best signings of all time.

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#10 Paul Pogba (£94.5m from Juventus)

Paul Pogba is a key figure in Mourinho's new-look United team

Paul Pogba is a player that divides opinion in many different ways. While his footballing abilities have been praised recently, he may forever be a victim of the astronomical price tag that was placed on his head in the summer of 2016.

Besides the - at the time - world record transfer fee that was paid for him, Pogba is a very extroverted character and his off-field antics with Jesse Lingard can sometimes be subject to scrutiny.

However, Pogba's ability to create chances and run the midfield justify his place on this list, as United are an entirely different team with the Frenchman. Amazingly, he is unbeaten in his last 36 Premier League matches and is sorely missed every time the Red Devils line up without him.

Particularly this season, Pogba has proven just how valuable he is to Mourinho's side. In his 14 league appearances, he has scored 3 goals, whilst providing an incredible 9 assists, a number that is only bettered by Manchester City's Kevin de Bruyne.

While Pogba's talent is undeniable, he still needs further time to prove that he can perform consistently at the highest level in order to move up the ranks in this list.

#9 Paulo Ferreira (£1.8m from Vitoria Setubal/£18m from Porto)

The Portuguese is one of Mourinho's favourites

Paulo Ferreira is probably one of the most underrated full-backs of all time. However, as long as one of his greatest fans was his manager, he surely did not mind. The Portuguese is one of several players on this list that played under Mourinho at multiple clubs.

Ferreira was brought in as one of Mourinho's first transfers as the manager of FC Porto in July 2002 and then immediately followed him to Chelsea in 2004 after winning the Champions League.

Ferreira won 10 major trophies under Mourinho's stewardship and was one of his most trusted defenders. After the Special One's departure, Ferreira added another five titles to his name, although his playing time slowly diminished.

The Portuguese right-back was one of the hard workers that are at the core of Mourinho's teams and he never really got the credit he deserved until he retired in 2013.

#8 Nemanja Matic (£22.5m from Benfica/£40.23m from Chelsea)

The Serbian suits Mourinho's style of play perfectly

If Mourinho had to describe his perfect player, Nemanja Matic would probably suit the description very well. The Serbian is tall, strong and most importantly he plays with his head as much as he does with his feet.

The Special One's teams have always been built around physical prowess and tactical cleverness and it's no surprise that he immediately jumped at the opportunity of signing Matic for United as soon as Chelsea made him available.

Matic joined up with Mourinho during the manager's second stint at the London-based club and his powerful presence in midfield played a significant part in their title-winning campaign in 2014/15. However, like Ferreira, he fell out of favor as soon as the Portuguese left.

Reunited with his former manager at Old Trafford, Matic appears to be the missing piece to unlock Pogba's full potential. Furthermore, his ball-winning abilities provide the attacking players with the confidence to take necessary risks.

#7 Ricardo Carvalho (£27m from Porto/£7.2m from Chelsea)

Ricardo Carvalho was a rock at the heart of Chelsea's defense

Another one of Porto's Champions League heroes. Ricardo Carvalho has only won three of his 13 club trophies under a different manager than Jose Mourinho. The Portuguese center-back formed a formidable partnership with John Terry at Stamford Bridge and he unsurprisingly took up the opportunity to reunite with his former manager when the Galacticos called.

Unfortunately for Carvalho, his time at the Bernabeu didn't turn out to be as successful as his Chelsea stint. But, the fact that he formed one of the two best central defense pairings during his time in the Premier League, the other being Vidic and Ferdinand at United, will forever be remembered by the Blues.

Carvalho complimented his English counterpart very well, as he was faster and more agile than the Chelsea legend. However, his aggressiveness and determination were even more impressive as he became one of the most ruthless defenders in England.

#6 Mesut Özil (£16.2m from Werder Bremen)

Mesut Özil turned into a star under Mourinho

Mesut Özil was a raw gem when he arrived in Madrid from Bremen. However, he turned into one of the best playmakers in Europe during his time with the Galacticos.

The German owes a lot of what he is today to the Portuguese manager and the faith he put into him at the time. Özil developed into an assist machine at the Bernabeu, assisting 81 goals in his 159 appearances for Los Blancos.

The impact of the playmaker was so influential, that his departure in 2013 caused a huge controversy, with Cristiano Ronaldo of all people severely criticizing the club for letting him go to Arsenal.

The Portuguese superstar knew that he was losing his main source of assists and made it well-known that he's unhappy. Özil became a star under Mourinho and, should he not sign a new contract at Arsenal, you can expect the Special One to make him his primary target in the summer.

#5 Michael Essien (£34.2m from Olympique Lyon/On loan from Chelsea)

Michael Essien was one of the best holding midfielders in the Premier League

Michael Essien was a key figure in Mourinho's Chelsea side and formed one of the league's most fearsome midfields alongside Frank Lampard and Claude Makelele. The Ghanaian was the perfect link between the two in the middle of the park.

His stamina and tackling allowed Lampard the freedom he needed to create space in the opposition's half and also helped Makelele in protecting the back four. Although his goal-scoring record is nothing to brag about, whenever he did score, he did it in style.

Essien only played under Mourinho for two years at Chelsea, but his impact on the team during their title-winning campaign in 2005/06 could not be overlooked. The Ghanaian international was able of taking control of the game and most importantly, he made the players around him look better every time he played.

Essien also joined Mourinho at Real Madrid on loan for one season. However, he struggled to have the same impact that he had in London and his career slowly went downhill from there. Nevertheless, his time at Stamford Bridge will be remembered fondly by the Blues' fans.

#4 Luka Modric (£27m from Tottenham)

Luka Modric continued his development that he started at Tottenham

Modric came to Real Madrid in what was thought to be the prime of his career. Joining just before his 27th birthday, the Croatian midfielder had developed a great deal at Tottenham and wanted to try his luck at the Bernabeu.

What only very few could have expected, is that he would take another leap at the Galacticos and turn into the player we are seeing today. Despite Madrid's recent struggles, Modric and Kroos have formed one of the best midfields in Europe over the past few years.

Modric's ability to protect and distribute the ball in the opposition's half is fantastic and he's truly taken a step forward to become a superstar at Los Blancos.

Although his time under Mourinho was short-lived, the Portuguese found his successors a fantastic player who has become indispensable at the club. The fact that he's been a key member of the team that has won three out of the last four Champions Leagues speaks for itself.

#3 Petr Cech (£11.7m from Rennes)

Cech was a commanding figure between Chelsea's posts

This was probably Mourinho's best signing in terms of value for money. Petr Cech solved Chelsea's goalkeeping problem immediately and provided the foundation that Mourinho's side needed to win back-to-back Premier League in 2005 and 2006.

Prior to Cech's arrival, Carlo Cudicini was destined to be Ed de Goey's successor between the posts. However, the Italian continuously made errors that were costly at times and a new solution had to be found.

The goalkeeping position is essential for any team that wants to mount a serious title bid and Petr Cech proved to be fantastic for Chelsea for over a decade. Had Thibaut Courtois not impressed the way he did on loan at Atletico Madrid, we would probably still be seeing this man between the posts at Stamford Bridge.

The fact that Cech is still playing at Arsenal at the age of 35 is a testament to his outstanding abilities and we have Mourinho to thank for discovering one of the best goalkeepers of the Premier League era.

#2 Thiago Motta/Diego Milito (£9.18m/£22.5m from Genoa)

One of the best double transfers of all time

Yes, this is somewhat cheating, putting two players at the same position, but the simultaneous impact of these two players in addition to the fact that they even joined Inter Milan from the same team verify this decision.

Thiago Motta has a similar build to Matic, however it's his aggressiveness and leadership that stand out the most. Diego Milito, on the other hand, was one of the most relentless goalscorers on the planet from 2008 until 2010.

Motta and Milito really provided Inter with the spark they needed to create something as special as their 2009/10 season. With Motta running the midfield and Milito pretty much scoring every chance he got, Inter simply couldn't fail.

That Jose Mourinho dug these two out from mid-table side Genoa in 2009 may be his most underrated piece of transfer business ever. If Mourinho's critics blame him for trying to buy success, this is probably the best example of how significant the impact of two players can be.

#1 Didier Drogba (£34.65m from Olympique Marseille)

Drogba became the face of Chelsea's success

Considering he came from the French league after only one season with Marseille, Drogba's transfer fee raised a few eyebrows at the time. What followed were eight years of witnessing one of the best strikers the league has seen.

Drogba had everything - strength, speed, heading ability, you name it, he had it. Ever since joining the league in 2004, Drogba was almost unplayable for most defenses and most importantly, he always turned up when he was needed the most.

Although his Premier League track record is already impressive, the Ivorian's favorite competition was always the Champions League. During his 74 appearances with Chelsea in Europe's elite competition, he scored 36 goals and assisted 12. He was certainly the man for the big stage.

Drogba scored 10 or more league goals in every season under Jose Mourinho and he is the type of player, that he hopes to have rediscovered in Romelu Lukaku. Drogba's aggressiveness whilst leading the line up front and his ability to create something out of nothing made him a Chelsea club legend and arguably, Mourinho's best signing of all time