Chelsea F.C. Manager Jose Mourinho Pays Tribute to 'Dear Enemy' Steven Gerrard
Chelsea F.C. manager Jose Mourinho said Steven Gerrard was one of his favourite enemies as the Liverpool star played a huge role in making him a better manager.
Chelsea F.C. manager Jose Mourinho has said he will "miss" Steven Gerrard, who will leave Liverpool F.C. at the end of the current season, after the two sides played out a 1-1 draw in a Premier League encounter at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
"To get an ovation at Stamford Bridge is special for Gerrard -- we have lots of respect for the top guys. I will miss him. The negative song Chelsea fans sing for him is respect for an old, dear enemy that fought so much against us in every competition. After that, the standing applause is amazing. To get it at Anfield, he gets it week in week out, year after year, but away from home it shows a lot," Mourinho told Sky Sports.
Gerrard has only three games left at Liverpool before he starts a new chapter in Major League Soccer with Los Angeles Galaxy.
Mourinho also revealed that he tried to bring Gerrard to Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid.
"I tried to bring him to Chelsea, I tried to bring him to Inter (Milan), I tried to bring him to Real Madrid but he was always a dear enemy," Mourinho said. (Hazard Reveals Drogba Persuaded Him to Join Chelsea)
"Gerrard is for sure one of my favourite enemies - an enemy with all the good feeling I can express with that word in football."
Mourinho even credited the Liverpool captain, who almost left Anfield for Stamford Bridge in 2005 before opting to stay with his boyhood club, for making him a better manager.
"For sure, in England he is my dear enemy. For sure, he is the one that made me a better manager. To stop him or try and stop him has been very, very difficult," he added.