The highs and lows of Mourinho's crazy career
HIGHS
ARRIVING IN STYLE
MOURINHO swept into the Bridge in the summer of 2004, fresh from winning the Champions League with Porto, describing himself as "The Special One".
PREMIER LEAGUE SUCCESS
GUIDED Chelsea to their first league title in 50 years when two goals from Frank Lampard sealed the trophy with a 2-0 win at Bolton in April 2005.
RETAINING THE TITLE
THE Blues successfully defended the Premier League title in 2006, with Mourinho throwing his medal and jacket into the crowd in a typically flamboyant moment.
WEMBLEY WIN
HE won the first FA Cup final at the new Wembley in 2007. The 1-0 win over Manchester United was his last big success at Chelsea.
CONSISTENCY
CHELSEA set a new record of 64 unbeaten home matches in the English top- flight with an August 2007 win over Birmingham.
LOWS
MARRED FIRST SUCCESS
MOURINHO was sent off as he celebrated the equaliser in the 2005 Carling Cup final win over Liverpool, for telling Kop fans to shut up.
IT'S A DOG'S LIFE
ARRESTED and cautioned in May 2007 after allegedly refusing to allow police to quarantine his pet terrier.
WENGER WAR
MOURINHO never hit it off with Arsene Wenger. In October 2005, he taunted Wenger by calling him a "voyeur" for discussing Chelsea frequently.
GETTING FRISK-Y
JOSE accused ref Anders Frisk of meeting Barcelona boss Frank Rijkaard at half-time in Chelsea's Champions League clash in 2005. Mourinho got a two-match ban.
EGG ON FACE
MOURINHO'S Blues tenure ended when he criticised Roman Abramovich's failure to buy quality players to help his injury-hit squad.
THE box office lost its biggest draw when Sir Alex Ferguson retired at the end of last season.
Then along comes Jose Mourinho to fill the void.
You had to wonder when Sir Alex exited where all the drama, headlines and confrontation were going to come from.
Because, let's be honest, while the football is obviously the main part, there is so much more that comes with making the Premier League what it is.
While Manchester United under Sir Alex played some fantastic football, he also added a drama to title races off the pitch.
Mourinho will certainly do that. More importantly, he will make Chelsea the team to beat once more.
You only have to look at his record to realise just what is facing both David Moyes at United and Manuel Pellegrini at Manchester City next season.
Last season can be used by some of his detractors as evidence that Mourinho can be a divisive element in a football club.
I would prefer to look back to the season before when he took on one of the best football teams the world has ever seen in Pep Guardiola's Barcelona and beat them.
Winning that La Liga title was indeed some achievement. As was winning the title and Champions League with Inter Milan.
And breaking the monopoly of Manchester United and Arsenal in English football in the way he thrust Chelsea forward in his first reign at the Bridge.
Let us not forget either the way that he took unfancied Porto to Champions League success too.
Seven titles in four different countries and two Champions Leagues is some record — not to mention the other domestic pots.
This is a man who simply wins football matches.
There was an argument towards the end of his first stay at Chelsea that he did not play the game beautifully enough. I have never got this.
What is beautiful to football fans is coming away from a ground knowing your team has won.
We keep getting told it's an entertainment industry. It is if you are a neutral. But for a fan of a team, you go to see your team win.
Believe me, I would have been quite happy to have bored the nation to sleep if it had meant winning a trophy with Newcastle.
Having said that, I have never thought Mourinho's teams are boring.
You don't score 121 goals in 38 league games as he did in winning the Spanish title by being boring.
What his teams are is disciplined and organised.
Chelsea fans should really be licking their lips already.
I know some see it as an accident waiting to happen given the fact he fell out with Blues' billionaire owner Roman Abramovich last time round.
I would reckon that both men will have learned a lot from that experience.
Enough, in fact, to make sure it will not happen again.
Mourinho's return is but one fascinating element in next season.
The changes at both Manchester United and City have increased the anticipation of what could be a fantastic season.
I was really pleased with the appointment of Moyes to replace Sir Alex.
I am glad the club went for a British manager who proved his worth in more than a decade at Everton.
People are saying he has big boots to fill in going to Old Trafford.
Believe me, the tougher job is the one that Robert Martinez has in trying to replicate what Moyes has done at Goodison Park.
As for City, well I hope that Pellegrini, who arrives hot foot from Malaga and Real Madrid, does well.
But I cannot help but think City have made a serious error in getting rid of Roberto Mancini.
Like Mourinho, he was a winner.
You can question his man management behind the scenes but he won that title.
If finishing second the following year against a manager and club so used to bouncing back means you get the sack then where are we?
It's ridiculous. Having said that, the club has to move on.
And they have already made a couple of big statements in the transfer market — with the signings of £30million holding midfielder Fernandinho and £21m winger Jesus Navas.
I expect both Moyes and Mourinho to do the same.
Mourinho already has plenty to work with as it is.
The current Chelsea team is two or three buys away from being exceptional.
We saw that in the way Rafa Benitez turned what could have been a chaotic season into tangible success.
He deserves high praise for what he did. Even his biggest critics at Stamford Bridge have to accept that.
There is no doubt that he left that club on a high and Mourinho will now take it back up a level.
He will take the Premier League up a notch too.
Because at a time when everyone was lauding Spain and Germany, we now have possibly the best coach in football back in our league.
Video: Schurrle hints at Chelsea move but Mourinho remains tight-lipped
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