Pedro Neto reveals 'pride' at playing against Jose Mourinho because of what ex-Chelsea manager has done for Portuguese football globally

From someone who was routinely winning league titles in the first 15 years of the 21^st century, as well as taking two different clubs to Champions League glory, Mourinho’s reputation has taken a battering over the past decade.

Following his second dismissal by Chelsea in 2015 after a spectacular collapse just months after delivering the Premier League trophy, he was unable to restore Manchester United to their Sir Alex Ferguson vintage, was given the boot by Tottenham Hotspur without winning anything, and has taken on jobs below the traditional European elite where he had made himself at home.

Mourinho had a tense few months with Fenerbahce that ended trophyless, and only this week, was slated by Galatasaray coach Okan Buruk, who claimed the ‘Special One’ has lost his edge.

Now back at Benfica 25 years after his initial stint flamed out over a contractual dispute, Mourinho wants to take the Lisbon giants back to the top of the mountain after only a single Liga Portugal title in the last six seasons. As it goes, Mourinho himself believes he is a "much better coach" these days.

Neto considers it a source of "pride" to be facing a Mourinho-led team because of the stature the 62-year-old has back home, arguably helping to put Portuguese football back on the map.

"As a Portuguese [player] it will be a pride to play against Mourinho," Neto told reporters.

"What he represents to the club and what he represents to Portuguese people as well, the opportunity he gave to Portuguese people to go around the world and play in the best teams and manage the best clubs. We are really looking forward to playing against them and it is a really good opportunity to bounce back as well.

"You cannot have a divided opinion on him. What he did for Portugal, what he did for Portuguese people, what he has won. People in Portugal respect him a lot and know the value that he has. Benfica hired him for that reason. He is one of the biggest names in Portugal with [Cristiano] Ronaldo and [Luis] Figo. It would be a privilege to be managed by Jose Mourinho, who wouldn't want to be managed by him?"

Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca may be a former Pep Guardiola disciple from his days as an assistant at Manchester City, but he shares a similarly high opinion of Mourinho.

"It will be a privilege to face Jose," Maresca said at a pre-match press conference on Monday.

"A legend for [Chelsea], not only for this club but for different clubs. For me, it's first of all a privilege to represent this club in the Champions League. For sure it's also a privilege to face a fantastic manager like Jose."

Mourinho’s most frequent opponents in his managerial career to date have been Liverpool (31 games) and Barcelona (27), but he’s also come up against Chelsea on 14 occasions. He had never faced them prior to landing his job at Stamford Bridge off the back of leading Porto to the Champions League title in 2004, and it wouldn't be until three years after leaving west London that Jose finally met Chelsea in competitive action.

That was as Inter boss, knocking them out of the Champions League semi-finals in 2010 with home and away victories, en-route to completing a historic treble for the Milan giants. Carlo Ancelotti believes that elimination against a coach ex-Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich had sacked and moved on from was a contributing factor in his own eventual dismissal.

With Manchester United, Mourinho lost four of seven Chelsea encounters, winning just two. His Spurs side knocked Chelsea out of the Carabao Cup on penalties in September 2020, which technically counts as a draw because the teams weren't separated until a shootout, and he hasn't faced the Blues against since leaving the Tottenham job in 2021.

Overall, it's a record of four wins, three draws and seven defeats in reunions with Chelsea.