Returning to Chelsea José Mourinho insisted he is no longer "a special one" but a humble one, vowing to introduce a stability that has been lacking for both the Portuguese and the club since he first departed six years ago.
"I am the happy one. Time flies. It feels like it was a couple of days ago but it was nine years ago [when I first arrived]. Since then, a lot of things have happened in my professional life. I have the same nature, I am the same person, I have the same heart and I have the same emotions relating to my passion and my job, but I am a different person," said Mourinho, who leaves his previous role at Real Madrid with claims that he "damaged" Spanish football ringing in his ears.
In contrast to his first arrival, Mourinho went out of his way to avoid discord or disharmony, endlessly repeating that he is "very calm" and "very relaxed".
Mourinho first arrived at Stamford Bridge in 2004 sweeping into the club and declaring he was "a special one", winning Chelsea's first title in 50 years and retaining it the following year. He won five major trophies in three years before parting with the owner Roman Abramovich.
He said on Monday that at the age of 50 he is better able to manage his emotions and ready to commit himself to building a dynasty at a club who have churned through 10 managers in a decade since Abramovich bought the club in 2003.
"We are ready to work together again. We have much better conditions to succeed and deliver what this club wants, which is stability," said Mourinho. "Now I am prepared for that. Before I wasn't. Today is June 10, Portuguese Day. I always loved adventure in the past, I was always a bit of an explorer."
The Portuguese, who has won league titles in Italy and Spain since leaving England, said that he plans to stay until the "last day" of his four-year contract and beyond, and has learned from his experiences around Europe.
"Sometimes people talk about older people in a negative way. Experience in life is something very important, particularly if you use it in the right way. I analyse myself every day as a manager, as a leader, as a member of a club," he said.
"Nine years is a big difference. When I arrived here in 2004, you pushed me a lot to have a stronger approach. You know me, you know my history in the British game and the European game. I just want to be calm. To give my best every day."
Mourinho claimed that there is no need to repair his relationship with the club's Russian owner and that they had parted by mutual consent, despite the swirl of furious discord that surrounded it.
"Of course it was a sad moment, but I don't regret that decision because I went to Inter where I had probably the best moment of my career and after that I went to Madrid where we had the record of the best team in Spanish history," he said.
"For Chelsea, things went well too. It was a decision that was difficult for both of us but it was a decision that was made by mutual agreement. It wouldn't be possible to be here today if we had real problems."
More than 200 journalists and camera crews, including many from overseas, packed into a suite in Stamford Bridge's West Stand where six months earlier Rafael Benítez had been presented in a fractious press conference.
The former Porto, Inter and Real Madrid manager claimed that he did not regret missing out on the Manchester United or Manchester City vacancies. "I am where I want to be. I wouldn't change it for anything. It's my job and the job I want. It is the job I was offered and I accepted immediately," he said.
Mourinho bristled only slightly when asked by Andrés Iniesta's claim that he had damaged Spanish football during his fractious spell at Madrid.
Mourinho said it was a comment motivated by his success in ending Barcelona's dominance: "I damaged Spanish football by being the man that broke Barcelona's dominance. It looked like a dominance without end – Real Madrid won the cup final against Barcelona, the Super Cup against Barcelona, we won in Barcelona and won the historical championship of 100 points and 121 goals. I hurt them."
He said he would meet with the Chelsea captain John Terry, sidelined by Benítez due to loss of form and injury, next month. "The future is to meet John on July 1st. I know what he can give, let's try and get the best and let's try and make him again a very important player that he couldn't be last season."
But he warned that those players who remain at the club from his first spell, including Terry and Frank Lampard, could expect no special favours. "There are still a few boys from my time. It's always good to go back and see people who gave everything to me when I was here. They know me and there will be no privilege for them. They know my nature as a manager. They don't have an advantage," he said.
"I think Chelsea did very well to get these young boys with great potential. I will be more than happy to work with them. A club like us always has the ambition to add a couple of players to improve the squad."
Mourinho has already been linked with a host of signings but said his first task would be to meet with the existing players. "My first job is not to say I need money with a lot of zeros and say I need to change the team. In the past three days, the media has linked us with 20 new players. I need to be fair with the existing players. A couple of new signings is normal but the main objective is to know what we have."
Only when asked about his weaknesses as a coach, did a flash of the old Mourinho return: "My weaknesses? Not many. But I try to improve. And hide [them]."
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