Jose Mourinho praises Chelsea defender Ricardo Carvalho
Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho has praised the talents of Ricardo Carvalho, hailing the Chelsea defender as one of the world’s top central defenders.
As a deal for Inter Milan right-back Maicon drags on, Mourinho has turned his attentions to a player he managed and helped him to great success at Porto and Stamford Bridge. Despite Carvalho being 32, Mourinho has insisted that the player’s age will not be a barrier to any deal. AS reported the new Bernebau coach said: "I have always said Carvalho is one of the best central defenders in the world. He is at the moment of his maximum maturity. We will see if he comes."
Carvalho played under ‘The Special One’ for seven seasons in total between the two clubs and has recently revealed that he would jump at the chance of a move to the La Liga runners-up should the opportunity be there, while Mourinho has high hopes that a deal for the player will be completed this summer.
Should Mourinho be successful in his pursuit of the player, he will once again have a world-class centre-back on his hands. The Portuguese defender began his career at his local team Amarante Futebol Clube. His talents were spotted by scouts for Porto and he was signed to the club’s junior team in 1996. The following season saw him go on loan to Leca FC, where he made his professional debut.
Between 1999 and 2001, Carvalho was farmed out on additional loan spells to at Vitória de Setubal and F.C. Alverca. He only began to make regular appearances for Porto in April 2002, when first-choice player Jorge Costa went on loan to English club Charlton Athletic. He played 25 league games that season. After Mourinho took over, it was expected in the following season that Carvalho would be on his way out of the club.
Strong form
However, after impressing in training and showing strong form, he found himself involved much more at first-team level. He appeared in several important games in the 2002-03 season, including the semi-final and final of the UEFA Cup, where Porto beat Scottish Premier League (SPL) giants Celtic 3-2 to secure the trophy. Carvalho’s efforts that season saw him named Portuguese Footballer of the Year.
In the 2003-04 season, Carvalho became one of the foremost central defenders in world football. His rock-solid displays at the heart of defence helped his club secure the Portuguese league title for the second year in-a-row. His stellar season even eclipsed that of the previous one as Porto lifted the biggest prize in European club football, the UEFA Champions League. He played in every one of Porto’s games in the competition, including the final, where they beat AS Monaco 3-0. He was named UEFA’s Club Best Defender of the Year and was voted into the UEFA Team of the Year. He also finished in ninth place in the voting for the 2004 European Footballer of the Year award.
Carvalho’s outstanding form saw him win a move to English Premier League (EPL) club Chelsea in the summer of 2004 for a fee of £19.85 million, where he joined former manager Mourinho and ex-teammate Paulo Ferreira. He helped the club win the EPL title in each of his first two seasons at Stamford Bridge. In total, he has made 210 appearances for Chelsea, scoring 11 goals. His achievements at Chelsea also include a third EPL title in the 2009-10 season, three FA Cup wins and two League Cup triumphs.
At international level Carvalho has continued to display his considerable talent, winning 67 caps and scoring four times. At the 2004 UEFA European Championships in his homeland, Portugal reached the final but were beaten by Greece.
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