The Liverpool manager joined Mourinho at Stamford Bridge as youth boss in 2004 during the self-proclaimed special one’s first spell with the Blues.
Rodgers, 41, left after Mourinho had departed but is forever grateful to the Portuguese boss for the impact he has had on his career.
The pair have remained close ever since and Mourinho even text Rodgers in 2012 to tell him to take the Liverpool job.
Rodgers’ does not think Mourinho will regret sending that text, but the Chelsea boss will never have expected to cross paths with his protégé in the title race so soon.
While their footballing philosophies now appear much different, the pair still have plenty in common – including the fact neither had glittering playing careers but still managed to become top managers.
And watching Mourinho turn Chelsea from also-rans into back-to-back Premier League winners was something that helped build his own desire for success.
He said: “When I first arrived at Chelsea I was 10 years as a youth coach, I arrived there as an academy director so I had gone through lots of roles and I had a vision and philosophy well in place.
“I was asked to go to Chelsea to implement that with some of the top youngsters coming through in Britain and Europe – they saw me as someone with a European philosophy.
“I arrived working there with a guy who was a winner but he didn’t have the protection of being a big player to get his opportunity.
“He had to go down a different route and what I got from him was the confidence that you can become a leader in your field by doing that.
Written by Steve Milne
