Jose Mourinho has many great footballers at his disposal but he has revealed he considers the very best among them to be Nemanja Matic.
The big Serbian, bought back by Chelsea from Benfica for £21m in January, has been at the heart of everything the Blues have done in their unbeaten start this season – and Mourinho has heaped on him the highest possible praise.
“He is the best player,” said the Chelsea boss.
“He was signed in the most difficult market. Which is for the players who are coming in mid-season, so the last half of the season was for him to improve, not adaptation, as he was a Chelsea player before, but to improve.
“At this moment he is a giant, not for his size but for the way he plays.”
The 6ft 4ins tall midfielder was given the honour of conducting Chelsea's pre-match team talk at Anfield on Saturday – and went on to play a commanding role in the Blues' 2-1 win over Liverpool.
Meanwhile Mourinho went on to explain the reason behind his teams' winning mentality in the league wherever he goes.
He said: “I was champion in different countries, with different clubs. And there are points which are always present.
“I had it in Inter, Porto and Madrid and I have it here. I had it here in my first spell and I have it now, and this is something that I always have, people who are willing to sacrifice for the team, people who are willing to push, push to help, so I am so pleased with that."
