Jose Mourinho changes his 'Special One' nickname after over 20 years in management

Jose Mourinho has decided to coin a new nickname instead of being called the 'Special One' - 20 years on from his iconic opening Chelsea press conference.

Mourinho announced the nickname to the world following his appointment at Stamford Bridge, with the Blues fending off competition from Liverpool to appoint him after he won the 2004 Champions League with Porto.

The Portuguese boss would solidify his own claim with two consecutive Premier League titles with Chelsea, before he won the 2010 Champions League with Inter Milan in one of the competition's greatest triumphs.

At a packed press conference in June 2004, Mourinho told assembled reporters: "I have to say this.

"We have top players, and I'm sorry I'm a bit arrogant, we have a top manager.

"Please don't call me arrogant, because what I say is true. I am a European champion, so I'm not one of the bottle.

"I think I'm a special one."

Now, over 20 years on, the now Fenerbahce boss has announced that he wants to be known by a new nickname.

He explained: "It looks like it's for me to adapt [to Turkish football], and not vice versa.

"I am the one that arrived, I am the Foreign One. I am not going to change the state of things, so I need to adapt.

"It's not Turkish football that has to adapt to me. It's me that has to adapt to Turkish football.

T̵h̵e̵ ̵s̵p̵e̵c̵i̵a̵l̵ ̵o̵n̵e̵
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐨𝐧𝐞

After Fenerbahce's disappointing start to the season, coach Jose Mourinho says he is the one who needs to adapt - but not without taking a dig at Turkish football and staging opponents. 🇹🇷 pic.twitter.com/oUC7iQWwgI

— DW Sports (@dw_sports) August 19, 2024

"My players, they have to do what other teams do to us. They need to take time, they need to go on the floor. They need to stop the game, they need to simulate injuries - they need to do what every team does."

The 61-year-old has had a mixed start at Fenerbahce, as the Turkish side were eliminated by Lille in Champions League qualifying last week.

Mourinho has taken four points from his opening two Super Lig games, with his recent comments coming after a 2-2 draw away at Goztepe.