It is the special relationship that has endured. José Mourinho is long gone from Chelsea; he is poised, indeed, to make his latest managerial move from Internazionale to Real Madrid. But the Portuguese continues to cherish the bond that he formed with the core members of his playing squad during those glittering three years in west London.
In the time since his departure from Stamford Bridge in September 2007, Mourinho has stayed in touch with Ashley Cole and Frank Lampard, among others. A text here, a phone call there; sometimes to chew the fat, on other occasions to deliver a pep talk. There is the slightly draconian view that Mourinho ought not to contact players who are no longer his, a school of thought coloured, no doubt, by paranoia and the potential for tapping-up. Yet there is no employment law concerning friendship.
When Mourinho's Inter hosted Chelsea in the first leg of the Champions League last 16 in late February, Cole was not only nursing a serious ankle injury but he had suffered from an eruption of lurid headlines related to his private life. Mourinho's comments were interesting. "I called Ashley Cole a few days ago," he said at the time, "because I care about him and I wish him a quick recovery. And because I like him very much, my advice is: 'Don't leave England.'"
It was put to Mourinho that Cole might benefit from a move abroad, given that the player's off-the-field indiscretions could make him a target for opposing fans. "I watched Ashley Cole play until the moment of his injury [on 10 February]," Mourinho replied, "and I watched him play superbly. So, if he has problems, they are for sure not on the pitch.
"[Carlo] Ancelotti [the Chelsea manager] must give him advice, his family must give him advice and he must think for himself. If he wants my little opinion, my opinion is: 'Stay in England.'"
Mourinho spoke with Cole's interests at heart, recognising also that the left-back, who many observers rate as the best in the European game, was enjoying his football at Chelsea. But, in the helter-skelter world of 21st century football, little stands still for long and, as Mourinho name-checked Cole, together with Lampard and Liverpool's Steven Gerrard, as possible Real recruits, Cole was beginning to wonder whether he could continue to live in England. Mourinho, fully abreast of the situation, would offer him a velvet-lined escape route.
Installed as public enemy No1 following his split from his pop star wife Cheryl, Cole feels hounded. He loves Chelsea, where he has three years of his contract to run, but he cannot tolerate the manner in which his marriage breakdown has been reported. He feels that there have been grave inaccuracies and, with each one, his blood becomes hotter.
Yet the situation is compounded, in his eyes, when he considers the news reporters' quest for their next line. They have been camped outside Cole's house, his mother's house and even his nephew's school, in the hope of snaring a fresh angle. Friends of Cole believe that with every passing day the notion of his departure becomes more likely. Quite simply, he cannot live his life.
Chelsea would resist any Real bid for Cole, as they would for Lampard, but Mourinho's imminent arrival at the Bernabéu has cast long shadows. When Cole was asked in the build-up to the FA Cup final two weeks ago whether Arsène Wenger, his one-time mentor at Arsenal, or Mourinho had been the best manager he had worked for he plumped, without hesitation, for Mourinho.
Real's current left-back options are Marcelo and Alvaro Arbeloa. Mourinho said he normally played with "two offensive full-backs like Ashley Cole and [Inter's] Maicon" and, while Marcelo is attack-minded, there have been questions raised about his defensive prowess. Cole, by contrast, offers the complete package and Mourinho, lest it be forgotten, likes his defenders to defend first.
Lampard has never hidden his affection for Mourinho, and he came close to joining him at Inter in the summer of 2008. "At the time, if I am honest about it, I did have thoughts about going to Inter," he said. "It was a difficult time for me in my life after the death of my mother and everybody knows how I feel about José Mourinho."
Lampard stayed put to sign a new five-year contract, a decision he has not regretted, and he has said that he is determined to finish his career at Chelsea, not least as it is the wish of his family. Mourinho would face a challenge to persuade him otherwise.
Gerrard appears slightly less settled after a traumatic season at Liverpool. Real's interest in the midfielder is long-standing while he came close to joining Mourinho at Chelsea in the summer of 2005, only to have an eleventh-hour change of heart. Like his team-mate Fernando Torres, who is a target for most elite clubs in Europe, Gerrard has grown weary of the boardroom strife at Anfield, which has been destabilising, while it has also been reported that his relationship with the manager, Rafael Benítez, is strained.
Mourinho could be prepared to exploit any uncertainty.
