Ex-Chelsea boss Mourinho reveals he ‘nearly DIED’ in a laundry basket during Champions League ban

One of Chelsea’s most successful managers-Jose Mourinho joined the Blues 15 year ago and called himself “The Special One”. The Portuguese manager won three Premier League titles and an FA Cup during his time at Stamford Bridge, the nearest he got to European glory with Chelsea were the semi-finals on three occasions. Mourinho guided his side past Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals of 2005. Chelsea met Barcelona in the Champions League round of 16 during which Mourinho received a two-match ban and did not have direct involvement during the game with Bayern Munich. The Blues won the first leg 4-2 at Stamford Bridge before losing the second 3-2, 6-5 on aggregate. Mourinho told beIN SPORTS about the hilarious way he tried to get around the suspension. “I went to the dressing room during the day,” the 56-year-old said. “So I was already there, since midday.  The game was at 7pm and I just wanted to be there when the players arrive. I went there and nobody saw me. The only problem was leaving afterwards.  Stewart the kit man put me in the laundry basket, a metal one.” But Mourinho’s plan did not come off smoothly. He added: “I went there with it a little bit open so I could breathe.  But when Stewart were taking it outside the stadium, the UEFA guys, who had heard, were desperate to find me. So when they came, Stewart closed the box.” And the ex-Blues boss revealed how the incident took a dangerous turn. “I couldn’t breathe,” Mourinho continued. “When he opened the box, I was close to dying.

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