In the game of football, there are no ‘ifs’ and ‘buts.’ Everything in the game revolves around minute details and decisions made by players, managers and owners in a rather short period of time. However, as fans, we have the liberty to wonder what would have been the scene of present day football if a simple decision by one of the instrumental people in world football went another way.
One of the defining moments in world football came in 2004. A relatively young manager, Jose Mourinho had risen to prominence after a fantastic season with Portuguese side F.C. Porto. The Portuguese team won the League and the Champions league and top English clubs were looking to sign him.
Also read: What if: Cristiano Ronaldo never left Manchester United
While Jose wanted to move to Liverpool, Rafa Benitez’s exploits with Valencia impressed the Merseysiders and they went for the Spaniard which left Chelsea’s Roman Abrahamovic making a big money deal to land the Portuguese man.
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Jose Mourinho obliged and the rest is history. However, let's take a look at five things that would’ve been different if Mourinho did not sign for the Blues.
#1 Chelsea would not be as established a team as they are today
When we talk about the top teams of European football Chelsea FC’s is always in the midst of it. They are the last English team to win both the Europa League and the Champions League and have also won the most number of Premier League titles in the past decade apart from Manchester United. All of this is thanks to a fantastic project from Russian Billionaire Roman Abramovic.
While Claudio Ranieri was the man chosen to lead Chelsea under Roman, it was Mourinho who made them a team to be feared. Mourinho signed fantastic players like Michael Essien, Didier Drogba, and Tiago in his first season. Chelsea won the League Cup which was their first trophy followed by a record-breaking Premier League trophy when the Blues also accumulated the most number of points in a season.
In the Champions League, they reached the semi-finals. With Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba, Petr Cech and John Terry the leading players in their positions, Jose built a team that would go on to dominate the Premier League for almost a decade until they won the Champions League in 2012.
#2 Didier Drogba would not be a Chelsea Legend
One of the first players Jose Mourinho signed in 2004 upon taking over at Chelsea was Didier Drogba from Lyon for a whopping £24 million from Marseille. He was a then record signing for the club and the English media were at their usual best by questioning the player’s ability to perform in England.
Despite being a risky signing in the eyes of many, Mourinho had decided that Drogba was the man who would lead his attack. The criticism by the media only became more intense towards the end of his first season as Drogba ended with a mediocre number of goals at 16. His second season was nothing special as well as he netted 16 goals yet again. However, Jose did not give up on his man.
With the confidence from Jose Mourinho, Drogba donned the new number 11 shirt vacated by Damien Duff and went on to smash 33 goals that season, one more than the number of goals in his first two seasons combined. Although Mourinho departed from Chelsea, he had created a beast in Drogba who would go on to be a legend in the Premier League.
#3 He wouldn’t be called the ‘Special One’
Since 2004, the ‘Special One’ tag is something that has been accustomed to Jose Mourinho. Undoubtedly a special manager, Jose Mourinho earned the tag. However, the story of how he got this tag is quite interesting. A few days after winning the Champions League with Porto, Jose Mourinho was unveiled as Chelsea manager and was in his first press conference at the club.
(Video courtesy: talkSPORT YouTube channel)
The English media went hard on him and asked him a number of questions regarding if he was good enough for the Premier League and if he was ready. In an interview with CNN many years later, Mourinho revealed what was going on in his head. He said that his ego was on a high coming from the Champions League win and the media questioning his ability obviously did not please him.
This was when he told the English media to calm it down as he was a Champions League winner. “I am European Champion. I think I’m a Special One,” exclaimed Mourinho. The tag was something that could stick with him for years to come.
#4 A Barcelona reunion was on the cards
It is now a very well known fact that Jose Mourinho had spent a significant amount of time at Barcelona. He was first one of the assistant managers to Sir Bobby Robson at Barcelona and also spent a considerable amount of time under Louis Van Gaal under whom he grew to become a better manager. He also managed the B team and the first team on many occasions under Van Gaal.
"Today, tomorrow and always Barça will be in my heart,” said Mourinho in one of their trophy celebrations. It was true. Jose Mourinho loved Barcelona and always wanted to go back. However, when Joan Laporta was looking for a managed to replace Frank Rijkaard in 2007, he overlooked Jose Mourinho and picked Josep Guardiola which angered Jose. But what were the reasons for overlooking Mourinho?
Laporte saw Mourinho as an arrogant coach whose style did not suit that of Barcelona. His antics with the media did not impress Laporte who always intended to portray a good image for Barcelona holding true to their ‘More than a club’ motto. Mourinho lying to the media that he saw the referee enter Rijkaard’s room after the game did not help his case and he was often linked with raising negative issues.
Hence, his Chelsea reign is probably what distanced him from the Barcelona job.
#5 Mourinho would have replaced Sir Alex Ferguson
While Jose Mourinho and Sir Alex Ferguson have had their fair share of duels, they never lacked respect for each other. The two had great admiration for each other throughout their careers. Towards the latter days of Sir Alex Ferguson’s time at Manchester United, there were whispers in the footballing world that Manchester United were looking for a man to replace their manager.
Jose was plying his trade in the capital city of Spain in a war with Barcelona when the news of Sir Alex stepping down was out to the public. While Jose always had an eye on the hot seat at Manchester United, he had a special place for Chelsea in his heart. When Roman came calling for the Portuguese manager it was an offer he could not refuse. After having a torrid time at Real Madrid, Mourinho desperately needed to go to a club where he was loved.
That left Manchester United with David Moyes replacing Sir Alex and Jose flying back to London to manage one of the two clubs he always loved – Chelsea. Had he not taken the Chelsea role in 2004 and established himself as a great manager at a different club, we would have probably seen Jose Mourinho taking over at Manchester United after Sir Alex.
