Jose Mourinho ruthlessly denied a Chelsea player of a Premier League winners’ medal during his time in charge of the club.
Mourinho enjoyed two managerial spells at Stamford Bridge as he won the Premier League title an impressive three times across both his stints.
He won the league title in his debut season in England’s top flight before defending their crown the following campaign.
But not every Chelsea player received a medal for their triumph in the 2005/06 season.
Carlton Cole opened up on the ‘lowest point’ of his playing career as he detailed how he was denied a Premier League winners’ medal.
Towards the end of the campaign, Cole needed to play in two games to qualify for a medal, but Mourinho felt that the forward didn’t deserve a memento for the 2005/06 season.
Asked for the ‘highest point’ of his playing career, he replied: “My senior debut for Chelsea in our 3-0 win against Everton in 2002 was my highlight.
“I came on for Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and the applause I got from the home fans made me feel a sense of achievement and elation, because I knew how much work I’d put in to get to that stage.
“To have the chance to play for the first team in front of 40,000 fans with everyone knowing my name and wanting me to do well was a massive high point in my career – one I’ll never forget.”
Carlton Cole during a Chelsea training session under Jose Mourinho. Image: Getty
However, Cole explained how he missed out on a Premier League winners’ medal, calling it the ‘lowest point’ of his playing career.
“The lowest point was on the last day of the 2005/06 campaign,” he added.
“We won the league under Jose Mourinho, but I didn’t play for the last three matches of the season because he didn’t want me to get a Premier League winners’ medal. All I needed was to play in two games, but Jose wouldn’t let me do that. He felt that I wasn’t deserving of a medal, so in the end I never got one.”
Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Jose Mourinho, Chelsea, Football, Premier League