When Jose Mourinho first arrived at Stamford Bridge more than two decades ago, he anointed himself Chelsea's 'Special One'.

The 62-year-old has a rich and storied managerial career, with plenty of highs, much jaw-dropping controversy and moments when he has let himself down.

Nowhere though, will he feel the affection reserved for him at Chelsea.

They chanted his name loudly on three occasions during his new club Benfica's 1-0 Champions League defeat. At one stage in the second half he was being serenaded by the Matthew Harding Stand at one end and the Shed at the other.

He waved almost sheepishly. His main focus was on the pitch - his desperation to succeed greater than it was all those years ago he said, because he has a reputation to live up to.

"When I first came here no-one was waiting for me," he said. "There were a lot of question marks.

"Now everybody thinks I have magic to make things happen."

He was speaking in Chelsea's media conference room, which was packed. Many who were present know Jose. None come close to the impact of Brian Pullman.

Pullman worked at Chelsea for an incredible 56 years and retired in 2024. He was a familiar face in the media conference room and clearly, Jose remembered how Pullman used to look after him.

Grinning to see his old colleague had made the effort to return to meet him, Mourinho asked "where are my favourite biscuits?" Pullman moved a nearby tea towel to reveal half a dozen custard creams. The Portuguese took a couple, then grabbed the rest as he stood up to leave. The embrace between the pair was a joy to witness.

This is the Chelsea Mourinho - the one fans love.

It is the Mourinho who spent an age talking to another long-term Chelsea employee Thresa Conneely on Monday, the one who chatted to his former player Joe Cole after arriving 90 minutes before kick-off, relaxed with his arm draped on the one-time England star's shoulder as he engaged in easy conversation. The one who stopped and signed a young Chelsea fan's shirt before he headed to the dressing room for his pre-match team talk.

"Of course I thank them," said Mourinho, when asked of the supporter reaction.

"I did it on the pitch. I live around here. I talk with them every day on the street.

"I hope to come back here [Stamford Bridge] in 20 years with my grandkids.

"They [Chelsea] belong to my history and I belong to theirs."

Yet Mourinho wants to win. You could tell that as he challenged decisions and demanded more from his players, patrolling the touchline as he has always done.

It seemed odd to hear him talk about how well his team had played in defeat, even if the odds were stacked against them by the huge gap in income between England's Champions League contenders and those from Portugal.

He sat in the same dugout as when he was manager, though it does make you wonder why the club waited for Mauricio Pochettino to change them given what is now the home dugout straddles the halfway line.

It did mean he was nearer the Benfica fans though, as he produced another classic Mourinho moment in the second half.

Chelsea might have paid the Lisbon club a British record £107m to sign Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez two years ago, but the money clearly has no bearing on how his old club's supporters think about him.

As he went to take a corner, Fernandez was bombarded by missiles from the upper and lower sections of the stands around him.

Mourinho saw what was happening, bounced out of his seat and took off down the touchline - a reminder of when he was Porto manager at Old Trafford and celebrated knocking Manchester United out of the Champions League in 2004.

The knee slide is beyond him now. Instead, he kept himself to angry waves, telling those supporters to stop.

They might not all have acted as he wished but the bombardment at least reduced long enough for Fernandez to take the corner.

Jose the peacemaker. Jose the friend.

Benfica didn't win - and Chelsea weren't that good - but Mourinho's return was memorable all the same.

There will always be mutual respect around here.