Highlights

• Mourinho's keenness to gain small advantages was revealed by John Terry during his time as Chelsea manager.
• Terry shared a story of how Mourinho exploited a little-known rule to help Chelsea win a game, showing his determination to win.
• Mourinho's knowledge of football's laws was impressive and often surpassed that of some Premier League referees.

John Terry revealed that Jose Mourinho was so keen to gain small advantages wherever possible during his spells as Chelsea manager that he ended up knowing more about the laws of the game than some Premier League referees. Mourinho, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest coaches of all time, famously took charge of Chelsea in 2004 after winning the Champions League with FC Porto.

The Portuguese tactician won back-to-back league titles with the Blues, plus two League Cups and an FA Cup, before his shock exit in 2007. Mourinho rejoined the west London outfit in 2013, following stints with Inter Milan and Real Madrid, and went on to win another Premier League title and League Cup before being sacked midway through the 2015-16 campaign. Terry, Chelsea's talismanic captain, was one of Mourinho's standout performers at Stamford Bridge.

Terry's story about Mourinho's determination to win

His knowledge of football's laws was second to none

And the Premier League legend shared a fascinating story about his former boss while covering the World Cup for beIN Sports in Qatar back in 2022. Speaking after one of the tournament matches, Terry revealed just how determined Mourinho was when it came to winning, experiencing it first-hand through his quite genius methods.

He would do anything to get a small advantage. I remember the rule was if you were 1-0 up and the ball was delivered into the box, if two defenders went up together and both went down on the floor after, you both didn't have to go off the field of play.

He used to sit me and Gary Cahill down and say when the ball comes into the box, bump into each other and both go down because you can't go off.

We're going 'We've never heard of that rule - ever.'

Terry then went on to identify an example of a match in which Chelsea exploited the little-known rule through Mourinho's instructions and how the referee wasn't even aware of it.

So we're winning 1-0 in the final 10 minutes, head the ball away, Gaz goes down and I'm like: 'I best go down!'

I dropped to the floor, get up and ref says: 'You two, off the pitch.' I went: 'No, no. That's not the rule. Check with the linesman.'

The ref said 'Yeah, you're right - you both stay on.'

Mourinho was so far ahead with those little bits. You are talking small margins and the best managers find them.

Watch the full clip of Terry telling the fascinating story about Mourinho and his determination to win in the video below.

Proof, if ever it was needed, that Mourinho was one step ahead of his rivals - and, it seems, even the referees! Just another reason why he's one of the best managers of all time.

Mourinho is one of the best managers ever

He's won trophies almost everywhere he's coached

That winning mentality has certainly served Mourinho well too, with The Special One winning trophies at almost every club he's ever coached. He won the Champions League with FC Porto and Inter Milan, the Europa League with Manchester United and the Europa Conference League with AS Roma.

He has also won league titles in England, Portugal, Italy and Spain, with Chelsea, Porto, Inter and Real Madrid. In fact, Mourinho has won silverware with every club he's managed in the last two decades... except Tottenham Hotspur. He was close there too, being sacked just before the club were set to play in the Carabao Cup final. They ultimately lost that game, but with a serial winner like the 61-year-old at the helm, that might not have happened.