Jose Mourinho leads tributes to Liverpool 'champion' Steven Gerrard

His Chelsea side lauded as champions once again, English football marvelling at the genius of a serial winner and the added gloss of a guard of honour from opponents who like to consider themselves as rivals but who, more often than not, have been reduced to also-rans in his presence.

And yet the sight of Steven Gerrard standing in line, respectfully applauding, will be a reminder that some precious cargo has eluded Mourinho in his remarkable managerial career.

Gerrard, too, will have cause to wonder, as he carries out one of his last acts as a Liverpool player, what might have been.

The temptation to move to Chelsea and other clubs was never strong enough to break the bond with his boyhood club, yet the prospect of playing and working for Mourinho has always held a certain appeal and fascination.

Theirs is a tale of a deep, mutual respect, of curiosity as to what they may have achieved together, but ultimately a relationship spurned.

“It is my time to honour the champion,” said Mourinho yesterday.

“It's my time to honour Steven Gerrard and say with opponents like him that I am the manager I am. I learn with my players and my best opponents.

“With my players' doubts and qualities and with my best opponents, with the problems they give me and way they make me think and analyse them and study how to play against them.

“Steven Gerrard is for sure one of my favourite enemies and for sure my dear enemy, the one who made me a better manager. To stop him or try to stop him has been very, very difficult.

“I lost against him, I won, I drew, I was happy, I was sad. I am very sad it's the last time I play against him. I need people like him to make me a better coach.”

It is Gerrard who has fended off the approaches. Mourinho’s advances in 2004 and 2005 are well documented, with the latter attempt to persuade him to move to Chelsea close to fruition until Gerrard, in his own words, “stepped back from the edge of the cliff.”

Yet when Mourinho joined Inter Milan and then Real Madrid, the courtship was renewed. The Portuguese pursued the midfielder with renewed vigour only to suffer more rejection as the romance of winning silverware with Liverpool out-weighed the considerable lure of moving to the San Siro or the Bernabeu.

Of course, Mourinho admires that loyalty. He will regard Gerrard’s unwillingness to kick up a fuss, the opposite of how Real’s transfer targets usually act, as an insight into the character of a talent he would “dream” about working with.

A love unrequited has not prevented Mourinho from seeking to protect Gerrard as highlighted by the plea he made earlier this season for Chelsea’s supporters not to taunt the former England captain for the slip last season which contributed to Liverpool’s title bid imploding.

Gerrard would have welcomed that and also the 2008 Fantasy Football team Mourinho selected in which he found room for the Liverpool skipper but not Frank Lampard.

“I am sad he is leaving the same as our Frank Lampard,” continued Mourinho.

“But Frank is a Chelsea legend and it's a different situation because Steven was always on the other side. I tried to bring him to Chelsea, I tried to bring him to Inter, I tried to bring him to Real Madrid but he was always with the enemy.

“I want to honour him and I hope Stamford Bridge has the same feeling.

“It's too late to sign him. He can't play against Liverpool. He's done an amazing career with his people. He refused to play in other big clubs, other big leagues to play only for Liverpool and this is a feeling that stays together.”

There is little doubt, too, as Gerrard reminisces over his playing career that he will stop and consider how appearing for Mourinho might have shaped his life differently.

Whether Mourinho’s man-management, tactical nous and transfer acumen would have seen him fulfil what will remain an ultimately forlorn quest to win a Premier League title. The answer would probably be ‘yes.’  

Mourinho had been interested in taking over at Liverpool 11 years ago when he was in the process of making waves at FC Porto and leading them to Champions League success.

On the same day Porto faced Manchester United – Tuesday, March 9, 2004 – a Brazilian agent, Jose Baidek, whom Mourinho knew from his time at Uniao de Leiria, firstly met Gerard Houllier to discuss potential signings.

Baideck then went from that meeting to approach Liverpool about a changing of the guard.

Liverpool were unwilling to give any definitive answers over Houllier’s future at the time as they chased fourth place.

Officials were subsequently dismayed by Mourinho’s antics later than evening when he charged along the touchline as Costinha’s late, late goal which knocked United out of the competition.

As it turned out, Chelsea were less scrupulous about their treatment of Claudio Ranieri and Rafa Benitez, instead, arrived at Anfield fresh from La Liga and Uefa Cup success at Valencia.

Within a year, he, and Gerrard, had conquered Mourinho en route to the glory of Istanbul, but the longevity has been with the Special One.

The prospect of forming the guard of honour will be unappealing for Gerrard given his competitive instincts, though he will recognise Liverpool have only themselves to blame for the position they are in.

Mourinho spent well last summer, bringing in Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa and recouping the outlay (and more besides) by offloading David Luiz and Romelu Lukaku. Liverpool did not.

Chelsea’s recent history is all about winning and becomes seductive for potential signings, while Roman Abramovich’s pockets are deeper than any owner Gerrard has worked under.Yet Liverpool have hardly helped themselves.

In 39 appearances against Chelsea, Gerrard has scored one goal for Liverpool which came in a 4-1 defeat at Anfield in October 2005.

Should he end that barren run, you suspect even Mourinho would not begrudge it him.

“Who knows I play against Steven as a Liverpool manager someday,” he added.

Now there is a thought.