Jose Mourinho says he ‘belongs to Chelsea’s history’ following Benfica loss

October 01, 2025

The Eagles were defeated by the London club 1-0 in their UEFA Champions League match on Tuesday (30.09.25), though Mourinho - who previously managed Chelsea from 2004 to 2007 and 2013 to 2015 - was happy to receive a warm reception from Blue fans at the game, even though he was at the other end of the pitch.

Speaking after the match about the supporters’ reaction, the 62-year-old Benfica head coach said: “Of course, I thank them — I did it on the pitch. Of course, I was focused on the game, but I heard a little bit of the sound.

“I live around [here], and when I am in London I meet them [Chelsea fans] every day on the street. I know that it is going to be a relationship again. Hopefully I come back here [Stamford Bridge] in years with my grandkids. They [fans] belong to my history, and I belong to their history.”

Even so, Mourinho insisted he was driven by “results”, not “memories”.

He said: “I don’t feed myself with these memories, I feed myself with results.

“My career took me to a position where everybody thinks I have magic to make things happen.

“I left Man United after winning things, I left Tottenham after taking them to a final, Roma after two European finals.

“With me it is never enough. If I am in a job I like to put myself on the line every day. I am desperate to win the match, that is the nature.”

He added of his will to win: “It’s bigger. I am desperate to win the next match.”

Benfica had lost the game after Richard Rios, 25, scored an own goal in the first half, though Mourinho felt that the club deserved a point for their good overall performance.

He said: “We deserved something. We started well, we controlled and had chances for sure. The goal is the only mistake we made defensively.”

Although Chelsea were not at their best, manager Enzo Maresca, 45, was relieved the Blues could pull off the victory.

He said: “We needed the win. Second half we dropped. We have some players on the pitch that unfortunately are not 100 per cent but are playing because we have seven or eight out. Sometimes you need to learn to win in an ugly way.”