José Mourinho: “In 2004, Roman Abramovich told me he had money to bring Ronaldinho to Chelsea if I wanted to. I said no, bring me Didier Drogba.”

Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho has revealed that he passed up the chance to sign Brazil’s Ronaldinho when he was appointed Chelsea new manager.

Mourinho took over from Claudio Ranieri at the Blues after he led FC Porto to the UEFA Champions League title in 2004.

After his appointment as Chelsea boss ahead of the 2004/2005 campaign, Mourinho made some big signings which helped the London club secure their first Premier League title in 50 years.

And when asked why he decided not to bring the Brazilian to England, Mourinho said: “In 2004, Roman Abramovich told me he had money to bring Ronaldinho to Chelsea if I wanted to… I said no. Bring me Didier Drogba,” Mourinho was quoted on Teamtalk’s Twitter handle.

Drogba joined Chelsea from Marseille and helped Chelsea win the league title in his first season.

He helped them retain the title in the 2005/2006 season and also went on to win the FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Champions League.

He worked under Mourinho again in his second spell when he returned in 2014.