In recent times, Jose Mourinho's name has done the rounds of Scottish football quite a bit. Firstly, his Fenerbahce side took on the Rangers in the Europa League and lost on penalties. And then, he has been linked with the Ibrox job lately, as the club look set to undergo a takeover and are expected to make a managerial change. Now, the Portuguese manager has talked about his connection with Celtic.
Of course, Celtic fans know Mourinho well. He was the manager of the FC Porto side that won that famous UEFA Cup final in Seville back in 2003.
That was heartbreaking for Celtic but at the same time, they can take pride from the fact that they narrowly lost to a team that would go on to win the Champions League the following season. Since then, a lot has happened in Mourinho's career.
He has managed some of the biggest clubs and players in Europe, won titles pretty much everywhere. Yet, it looks like he holds those memories from FC Porto, and the final against Celtic, close to his heart.
Fans will love Jose Mourinho's comments about Celtic
Mourinho completed his B Licence with the Scottish FA. As reported by the Daily Record, Mourinho said:
"Even around 30 years later I still feel that connection because it was an important part of my formation.
"When I remember Scotland growing up, I remember the Scotland I loved as a fan.
"I was following World Cups and I remember that generations of the likes of Graeme Souness and Alan Hansen.
"Then later on, I played Celtic in the UEFA Cup Final and that was the match that put my heart-rate at the highest it had ever been because of the intensity, the spirit, the determination of that team.
"So hard, so difficult to play against. I think it's part of the Scottish culture."
It will be interesting to see Mourinho in Scottish football one day. It is unlikely though that he will become the Rangers manager. Davide Ancelotti has emerged as the favourite for that role, something that their fans should be worried about, conidering his inexperience.
On the other hand, Mourinho looks set to continue as Fenerbahce manager for the time being. But some way down the line, could we see him in the Celtic dugout? Even if unlikely, never say never in football. For now, Brendan Rodgers is doing a very good job and the fans are happy to have him.