Jose Mourinho has revealed his famous Champions League return to Chelsea with Inter Milan in 2010 was driven by a desire for personal revenge against Roman Abramovich.
Mourinho returned to Stamford Bridge less than three years after his first spell as Chelsea manager had ended following a breakdown in his relationship with the club’s former owner.
Inter arrived in west London holding a 2-1 advantage from the first leg of their last-16 tie before winning 1-0 at Stamford Bridge and eventually lifting the Champions League.
Mourinho has now admitted the occasion felt far more personal than simply trying to eliminate his former club.
Speaking in a new Netflix documentary about his career, Mourinho said: “Honestly, I was playing against Roman in that game.”
Jose Mourinho reveals Chelsea revenge motivation
Mourinho insisted his feelings were not directed towards Chelsea’s players or supporters.
Instead, his motivation centred on Abramovich following the decision to remove him as manager in September 2007.
“I was not playing against Chelsea. I wasn’t playing against the boys. Jose was playing against him,” Mourinho said.
He described victory at Stamford Bridge as particularly satisfying because he knew how much Abramovich wanted Chelsea to succeed.
The comments offer a new perspective on one of Mourinho’s most memorable returns to west London.
ReadChelsea has previously looked back at how Mourinho transformed Chelsea, having initially arrived from Porto in 2004.
He won consecutive Premier League titles, two League Cups and the FA Cup during his first spell before tensions behind the scenes contributed to his departure.
Mourinho went on to win the treble with Inter in 2010 before eventually repairing his relationship with Abramovich sufficiently to return to Chelsea in 2013.
He added another Premier League title during his second spell at Stamford Bridge.
More than 16 years after knocking Chelsea out of Europe, Mourinho has now made clear just how personally he viewed that night.
