On Chelsea’s pre-season tour of the USA in 2013 I stumbled on a most remarkable scene.
As I turned a corner in the team hotel, there, lying face down and stretched out on the floor, was Jose Mourinho.
Chelsea doctor Eva Carneiro was attending to him along with Chelsea’s player liaison officer, Gary Staker.
I immediately strode down towards the prostrate Chelsea manager and called out: ‘Wow, what a great story this is!’
The look of shock on the faces of Carneiro and Staker was priceless, but then I heard the weak, muffled, hoarse voice of Mourinho saying: ‘No, no story, no story. I’m fine.’
He didn’t look fine or sound fine at all but the doctor was with him and it was obvious from the reaction of all around that I was a very unwelcome figure in proceedings.
For all the drama, it was clearly not a life-and-death scenario and I didn’t want to get in the way. Later, I didn’t need to hunt Mourinho down. He found me. He came across smiling but a little bit sheepish and embarrassed.
The gist of his explanation was this: ‘What you saw was nothing serious.
‘I went all dizzy and fell to the floor as I was walking to my room but everything is OK.
‘What’s happened is a mix-up. I have been taking some pills for a bad back. Then on tour I’ve started losing my voice because I have been doing so much shouting and organising in training.
‘I saw the doctor and was given some drugs to treat my throat. Unfortunately the pills for my back and the drugs for my throat have reacted to each other and made me disoriented.
‘It has all been sorted out now and I’m fine.’
DailyMail.co.uk
