Watch Jose Mourinho's six word response to Joe Cole and Chelsea legend claim

Jose Mourinho’s return to Stamford Bridge maybe didn’t quite go to plan for the former Chelsea boss even if he did seem to enjoy all but 90-minutes of the Champions League clash with his new club Benfica.

The ex-Blues manager wrote himself into the club’s history by breaking records and winning the sort of silverware that had previously seemed like a pipe dream. An unprecedented period of success makes him a legend who will always be welcome back and his relationship with one old player has shone a light onto just how close he was with those who delivered for him time, after time, in a Chelsea shirt.

Joe Cole explains Jose Mourinho’s importance to Chelsea

Speaking about Mourinho’s return to Chelsea, Joe Cole suggested on TNT Sports that the Special One is responsible for the standards that are now set at the club: "From my perspective, he is like a [Bill] Shankly of Chelsea in the sense that money came in, and he steered the ship. It's a much harder thing to do to take Chelsea from where they were underneath the top table to winning everything. It was Jose who started that process, and a lot of what we see at the club now he's imprinted and instilled into the culture.

"I think he's one of the most significant figures in the club's history. He's gone and managed Tottenham and Manchester United, but I think the Chelsea fans know in their heart what job he did there. He had remarkable success at the club, so overall, I'd like to think now he will get a good reception, as enough time has now passed. If I had my time again as an 18-year-old starting out my professional career, Jose would be the manager above all the others I'd love to play for again. Absolutely - and that's not to say it was always a walk in the park. But I loved the passion, the fighting spirit. Everything about that team, and playing for his team, felt great. I loved it."

Mourinho, in a typically charismatic manner, responded to Cole’s comments as only he could: “Joe Cole always speaks good about me, it doesn’t matter what I do, even if I do wrong, Joey is my Joey. And I also say that Joe Cole is the best pundit in history. It was very nice for Joe to say that.”

Mourinho and Cole reunited at Stamford Bridge

The love-in continued when Mourinho stepped out onto the Stamford Bridge pitch whilst Cole was preparing to go on air with TNT Sports leading to a light-hearted reunion between the former colleagues: "I have to pay this guy. I have to pay you, man. How much I have to pay you?" Mourinho asked Cole in response to the praise from the pundit. The Benfica boss then spoke to both Laura Woods and Owen Hargreaves before embracing Cole again.

Cole is right, Mourinho will always be Chelsea, regardless of who else he managed in his long and illustrious career. His verbal and on-field battles with managerial greats Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger are the stuff of folklore and he was responsible for building an ethos that became almost impregnable. He was more than just a coach or a manager at Chelsea and the reception that he received in charge of an opposition team in a huge game demonstrated perfectly just how close the fans still hold him to their hearts.