I'm a much better manager now, warns Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho
'Special One' says his experiences in Spain and Italy have improved him as a manager as he prepares for first game after return to Chelsea
Jose Mourinho has warned that he is returning to Chelsea as a much better manager as he bids to win back the Premier League trophy and secure an elusive Champions League title with the London club.
Mourinho, looking greyer and weightier than English fans will remember, said his experiences at Inter Milan and Real Madrid would put him in good stead in his second stint.
"I think some white hairs in my case is a good sign because it means that I'm better now than before," he said in Bangkok, where he will begin his new era with a pre-season friendly on Wednesday.
"I think I'm better now because my job is the kind of job where experience means a lot," he explained. "Especially like in my case after my period with Chelsea, I went around Europe, I had two years in Italy, three years in Spain, so I have more football culture than before. I have more experience than before so I think I'm in a better condition now than before. Because I think my job is about that - it's about learning experiences."
Mourinho, 50, is a good bet to return the Premier League trophy to Chelsea after winning back-to-back titles as well as two League Cups and the FA Cup during his first stint from 2004 to 2007.
At Inter Milan, he achieved the Italian treble of the Champions League, Serie A and the Coppa Italia in 2010 during another trophy-laden spell, and he also won La Liga during a more mixed time with Real Madrid.