Jose Mourinho has claimed that moral standards have been allowed to slip in the modern game and vowed to emerge as an unlikely leader of the next generation of more responsible managers once he seals his expected return to Chelsea.
Mourinho's suggestion that football's "values have been lost" in recent years will be greeted with scorn by those who believe his own behviour has been questionable, particularly during his time at Real Madrid.
The Portuguese's antics were constantly criticised by the Spanish media during his turbulent three years as Madrid coach, but it seems the 50-year-old is preparing to reshape his image as he prepares to return as manager at Chelsea.
As Mourinho flew into London on Sunday afternoon to reportedly finalise his move to Stamford Bridge, his latest comments suggest that he is hoping to emerge as an elder statesman of the touchline as he looks to fill the void left by the retired Sir Alex Ferguson.
"With the departure of Ferguson, I realise that being a relatively young coach at the top has made me feel more responsible," Mourinho said in an interview with
Jornal de Noticias. "I have been at the top of my profession for over ten years. I feel more and more responsible. The younger coaches expect it of me and I cannot disappoint.
"Values have been lost. Education and professionalism are becoming worse and worse. It is a problem in current society and football in particular - working as groups, not individually. I believe success depends on objectives being reached by a group, who are able to identify, establish and fight for those goals."
Mourinho went on to offer a stout defence of his record, as he prepares to try and revive the success he was a part of during his first stint as Chelsea boss between 2004 and 2007.
"Twenty titles in all the countries I have coached in is a lot. I have learned that, no matter what, I want to win more times, but I've accepted that losing is part of my professional life," he said.
"I like to open and close my coaching cycles without talking about the downsides. I'll try not to speak to the Spanish media because of this."
Madrid president Florentino Perez has confirmed that Mourinho will return to Chelsea in the coming days, with an official announcement on his return to Stamford Bridge expected to come as early as Monday.
