I played under Jose Mourinho when Chelsea had SEVEN national captains in starting XI… I know what truly made him special

MICHAEL BALLACK has explained why Jose Mourinho was so special to play under – when Chelsea had SEVEN national skippers.

The midfield legend says the “provocative” Portuguese boss “stood out” from other managers and persuaded the German to snub Manchester United.

Jose Mourinho made a huge impression on Michael BallackNews Group Newspapers Ltd

Ex-Bayern Munich hero Ballack won the Premier League once and the FA Cup three times with Chelsea from 2006-10.

And even though Mourinho departed Stamford Bridge for the first time in 2007, the 98-cap ace singled him out for a glowing tribute.

Incredibly, Ballack featured for a Blues side containing six fellow national captains whose status was as iconic as his own.

That exalted list contained England’s John Terry, Ivorian Didier Drogba, Ghanaian Michael Essien, Ukraine superstar Andriy Shevchenko, Czech keeper Petr Cech and Nigerian John Obi Mikel.

And interviewed on Jeff Stelling’s Football’s Greatest, Ballack said: “This is something really special, to play with six or seven national team captains.

“That was an interesting group. But as I mentioned, with Jose Mourinho there was a coach who stands out. 

“You know, of all these characters, he was leading the team in a certain way. 

“You trusted him. It’s really important that the team trusts the coach.

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“He was also a nice guy – a little provocative, in a nice way. 

“But in the dressing room he was really a nice guy, and he was funny. He was a family guy. He was really special.”

Mourinho famously called himself “a special one” when meeting the press after Chelsea lured him from Porto in 2004.

The tag stuck as he moved on to boss Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Chelsea again, Man Utd, Tottenham and, most recently, Roma.

Now, at the age of 61, Mourinho is in a rare spell out of management.

But having won the Champions League twice and eight domestic titles amid a huge haul of silverware, he’ll expect to find another top-level role – should he want one.