Jose Mourinho has paid tribute to the current squad players who were with the manager in his first stint at the club, and said that the legacy carried by these players will help instill the history and tradition of the club in younger players who will arrive in the near future.

The Portuguese boss has finally made a remarkable comeback to Stamford Bridge, and has vowed to challenge for trophies once again. The Chelsea supporters have renewed hope in the club’s chances for next season, and have faith in Mourinho’s methods.

The former Real Madrid manager’s first spell at the club brought two consecutive Barclays Premier League trophies to the club, and suddenly Chelsea became not only just a force to be reckoned with in the league but were considered favourites. Russian owner Roman Abramovich played a big part in Mourinho’s success, and backed the manager with serious transfer funds to buy players like Didier Drogba, Petr Cech and Ricardo Carvalho, who were instrumental in winning the titles.

Frank Lampard is one player who arguably represents the culture at Chelsea the best, and is a midfielder admired by Mourinho. Lampard’s skills are undoubtedly one of the best, but his imperfect physique was not undermined by Mourinho, who helped the England international establish his place at Chelsea. As years passed by, Lampard became the figurehead of the club, who was disciplined on and off the pitch, unlike some of his team mates.

Another player who is touted as one of the greatest players to have ever donned the Chelsea shirt was Drogba, who became one of the most lethal center forwards in the Premier League during his stint with Mourinho. There was a sense of team spirit in the camp, and Drogba was encouraged by Mourinho to take center stage in Chelsea’s attacking line. The Ivory Coast skipper lead the team from the front, and won the golden boot award in the 2006-07 season.

According to Sky Sports, Mourinho has spoken about the influence of his senior men, and looks forward to passing on the culture to younger players.

Mourinho said, “This is the legacy of the club culture – as some guys are arriving they have others who can transmit to them immediately what this club means,

One day, these older players will finish and the younger guys now will be the older ones in the future, so the Chelsea culture is continuously passed on from one generation to the next.”

Clearly Mourinho is planning for a long stay at Chelsea and we can only hope he has been inspired by Sir Alex Ferguson and wants to oversee a long period of domination by the Blue side of London.