5 players who reached super stardom under Jose Mourinho

Jose Mourinho has been in charge of top European clubs like Real Madrid, Chelsea and Inter MilanJose Mourinho is not just a master tactician. For players who have played for him, he is a motivator and a champion of young prodigies. Mourinho himself coming from a proletarian background, seems to have a heart for players who work hard and are passionate and not to forget display exceptional skills. He is famous for spotting and bringing into limelight hard working players at clubs like Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid. Michael Essien, Mario Balotelli, Luka Modric, Sami Khedira, Thiago Motta, Thibaut Courtois – the list goes on. His players have reached the very top of their profession and won major trophies along the way. Here are the five players who attained stardom under Jose Mourinho.

#5 Didier Drogba

When Mourinho moved to Chelsea in the summer of 2004, he picked out Didier Drogba of Marseille to be his main transfer target. When questioned about Drogba’s ability to perform in the Premier League, Mourinho replied: “Do not judge him now. Judge him when he leaves the club.”

Ever since that day, for Drogba there has been no looking back. His rise has been very linear and it has knocked numerous teams off their feet. Drogba needed to play for a top club and Mourinho was in a situation where he could have used the help of a venomous striker. The rest is history.

Surrounded by players like Arjen Robben, Damien Duff, Joe Cole, and Frank Lampard, Drogba had plenty of players to assist him. Once he was in front of the goal, there was no stopping him from scoring. With Mourinho, Drogba helped Chelsea to quick success with two consecutive Premier League titles in 2004/05 and 2005/06. The player went on to win more trophies with Chelsea during his spell that ended after winning the Champions League in Munich. 

Drogba played in nine finals for Chelsea and scored in all of them. He was the driving force for Chelsea on the pitch. When he first left the club, he left it in style by winning the Champions League with the last penalty kick against Bayern Munich. He left the club like legends do, thus proving Mourinho’s prophecy to be true. 

Mourinho won many trophies at Stamford Bridge. But his find, Drogba, helped Chelsea reach greater heights even when Mourinho was not guiding the club between 2007 and 2012. Drogba was a gift, to Chelsea Football Club, left behind by Jose Mourinho.