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Jose Mourinho is undoubtedly Chelsea's greatest manager of all time. The Portuguese tactician changed the course of history for the club, taking them from also-rans to bonafide title contenders.
Mourinho joined Chelsea in 2004 following a successful spell at Porto, with whom he won the UEFA Champions League the season before. This turned out to be a match made in heaven, as 'The Special One' would help the club win back-to-back Premier League titles along with two League Cups and one FA Cup during his first stint in charge of the club.
Mourinho left Chelsea for Inter Milan in 2008, but returned to manage the club in 2013, after successful spells in Italy and Spain. The Portuguese tactician added to his trophy collection with another Premier League title and League Cup triumph in the 2014-15 season.
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Over the course of his two stints at Chelsea, Mourinho has managed some world class players who have gone on to define the club during the 21st century. The list will rank the five best players across both of his stints with the Blues. So without further ado, here are the
Top 5 Chelsea players under Jose Mourinho
#5 Eden Hazard
Mourinho only had three seasons in charge of Eden Hazard, but the Belgian proved to be an integral part of his second stint at the club.
The winger's technical ability on the ball, along with his pace and movement, made him a nightmare for Premier League defenses to deal with at the time. Hazard was almost unplayable during Chelsea's title-winning campaign and linked up with the likes of Diego Costa and Willian to devastating effect.
Hazard won the 2013-14 PFA Young Player of the Year and the 2014-15 Premier League Player of the Season awards while under Mourinho. The Belgian was widely considered to be one of the best players in the world at the time and was key to Chelsea's 2014-15 Premier League triumph.
#4 John Terry
Widely considered to be one of the best defenders of his generation, John Terry captained Chelsea throughout all of their success under Jose Mourinho.
Terry was known for his tough-tackling, uncompromising style of play, as well as his leadership abilities. The Englishman was a stalwart at the back for Chelsea for the better part of two decades.
The defender won three Premier League titles, one FA Cup and three League Cups under Mourinho, while also being named the 2004-05 PFA Players' Player of the Year.
Under Mourinho, Terry transformed into the greatest Chelsea captain of all time.
#3 Petr Cech
The greatness of Petr Cech at Chelsea cannot be understated. He is the best goalkeeper to ever play in the Premier League.
The shot-stopper joined Chelsea from Rennes in 2004 and went on to keep 21 cleansheets in his first season at the club, winning the Golden Glove award. He would subsequently go on to win the award during Mourinho's second spell, in the 2013-14 and 2015-16 seasons as well.
He was also named the Best European Goalkeeper in 2005 and 2007. Cech was a huge reason why Chelsea were so dominant under Jose Mourinho.
The Czech international was an all-round goalkeeper with no significant weaknesses in his game. Cech is considered to be one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time and holds the record for the most cleansheets in Premier League history.
#2 Didier Drogba
The man for the big occasions, Didier Drogba, went on to become Jose Mourinho's greatest ever purchase for Chelsea. The Ivorian was an absolute monster of a player, terrorizing Premier League defenses throughout his tenure at the club.
Drogba was brought in from Marseille in 2004, leading the line for Chelsea in their back-to-back league triumphs. Although not the most prolific of scorers, the Ivorian had the knack of scoring when the team needed him most.
Apart from being physically imposing, Drogba had the technical ability to help link up play, as well as the intelligence and positioning to be able to score goals for Chelsea. The Ivorian also possessed incredible heading and shooting ability.
The Ivorian will go down in history as the best Chelsea striker of the 21st century.
#1 Frank Lampard
It's not often that a midfielder turns out to be the club's highest goalscorer of all time. But that's not the case for Frank Lampard. The Englishman is not just Chelsea's, but also one of the Premier League's all-time leading scorers with 177 goals in 609 league games.
Lampard blossomed into one of the greatest midfielders of all time under Jose Mourinho. The Englishman massively increased his goal contributions during the Portuguese tactician's first stint at the club and became an absolute lynchpin in Chelsea's midfield.
Lampard was an all-action midfielder, putting in dynamic performances in the centre of the park. His work-rate, positioning and shooting ability made him a huge goal threat for Chelsea, regularly reaching double figures for the club.
Lampard won two Premier League titles, two League Cups and one FA Cup under Jose Mourinho. He was also named the 2004-05 Premier League Player of the Season and finished second behind Ronaldinho in the race for the 2005 Ballon d'Or.
The Englishman is considered by many to be the greatest Premier League midfielder of all time and it's hard to dispute that based on the statistics alone.
Also Check Out: José Mourinho Biography and History
