Jose Mourinho arrived at Chelsea in 2004 after winning the Champions League with Porto and immediately projected supreme confidence by calling himself a 'Special One'. He travelled to Portugal to meet Chelsea players at the England camp during Euro 2004, repeatedly promising that they would win the league the following season and that key players would play major roles. Players responded to his aura and confidence. After the Euros, Mourinho's extraordinary work ethic became clear as he demanded high standards from everyone and provided unprecedented tactical and match preparation detail before fixtures.
He'd just won the Champions League with Porto and we all remember that press conference when he referred to himself as a Special One', Terry recalls to FourFourTwo. Everybody watched that and started calling each other, going, Crikey, get a load of this guy! But one of the first things he did was come to Portugal to meet us Chelsea lads at the England camp for Euro 2004.
He sat us all down in the hotel and his aura was instantly clear. He kept repeating that we were going to win the league the following season and that myself, Frank and the others would be a big part of that. We lapped it up. Then we got back after the Euros and discovered what a brilliant worker he was. He demanded so much from everybody, from the kit man to canteen staff to the players. The detail he gave us before games, whether it was in the Premier League or Champions League or against a smaller team in the FA Cup, was something I've never seen with any
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