Dramatic exit of the 'Special One'

Jose Mourinho tore his medal from his neck moments after winning the Champions League with Porto in 2004 and he marked the conclusion to his association with Chelsea by sending text messages to five senior players.

While some claimed last night that he had been sacked, he is understood to have said he was 'quitting' in those texts; that, after little more than three years and five major trophies, he has had enough of the interference and the opposition from within his own club.

There were public declarations of contentment but the reality was very different.

Mourinho was far from happy, not least because he was being told how Chelsea should be playing their football and who should be working alongside him.

The relationship he once enjoyed with Roman Abramovich disintegrated as a result of the coaches who were brought in against Mourinho's wishes. First it was Frank Arnesen, who was appointed as director of football development.

Then it was Avram Grant, who arrived towards the end of last season as director of football.

Mourinho complained directly to Abramovich and what was described by insiders as "an almighty clash of egos" marked the beginning of the end for the finest young manager in European football.

When Abramovich suddenly stopped attending Chelsea matches, everyone knew there was a major problem. Chief executive Peter Kenyon accused the media of chasing "ghosts", but behind the scenes he was desperately trying to repair the damage.

Attempts were made to put on a public show of unity. In February Mourinho said: "Normally there are three ways for a manager to leave a club — he walks away, he is sacked, or he finishes his contract.

"For me, to walk away — no chance, no chance. Zero. I won't go to another club by my decision to walk away. Zero per cent. I would never do this to Chelsea, I would never do this to my players, I would never do this to the Chelsea supporters. No chance. So when one of the three possibilities is out, there only remain two possibilities. We go to 2010 and I finish my contract or the club is not happy with my work and decide to sack me."

It was less than convincing and when Kenyon was then caught trying to secure the services of a replacement for Mourinho, yet more damage was done.

Jurgen Klinsmann rejected Chelsea's advances but news of a meeting in Los Angeles emerged and the self-styled "Special One" was left in little doubt of his club's intentions.

Chelsea refused to confirm as much but privately they argued that the meeting was a reaction to hearing their manager was looking for his next job.

As it turned out, the doors of Real Madrid and AC Milan never opened for Mourinho and Abramovich never found a replacement.

Guus Hiddink was also considered, until Vladimir Putin told his fellow Russian to stay well away from the country's national team manager.

When the new season arrived, it was nothing more than a marriage of convenience, and a badly-fractured marriage at that. A poor start followed, and matters finally came to a head.

Chelsea have performed well below their usual high standards and Abramovich has made no secret of his frustration.

He marched out of the Villa Park directors' box the moment Aston Villa scored their second goal and, for all the club's efforts to paper over the cracks, the rift between manager and owner was more obvious than ever.

When a disappointing draw against Blackburn was followed by another stuttering display against Rosenborg on Tuesday night, Abramovich decided he had had enough. A meeting was called yesterday during which Abramovich told senior directors that things had to change.

What happened in the few hours that followed yesterday remained unclear last night. Was Mourinho told as much and decided to quit as a result, or was he told it was time to go?

Judging by the reaction of Chelsea officials last night, the news seemed to catch them by surprise.

The text messages may have been sent but those who attended the first screening of the club's Blue Revolution film on Fulham Broadway appeared oblivious to the extraordinary developments.

The documentary's audience must be even more amazed after what they saw last night. "He's a bit like Ferguson," said Kenyon in the film.

"Having been around a winner like Ferguson, Claudio Ranieri didn't come into that class. He wasn't up to the job. So we looked for a new manager and we came up with Jose Mourinho. He had the same qualities as Alex Ferguson. He's a winner and we were lucky enough to get him."

They were lucky to get him and now they have lost him, as the players will discover for real when he says his farewells at training today.