Mutu has a date with his destiny

Although he doesn't draw a contrast with his real-life relationships, it is difficult not to see his remarks in the light of his recent divorce from Alexandra, an actress and beauty queen. After some acrimony, the matter has now been settled out of court, with the couple's one-year-old son, Mario, continuing to live with his mother in Milan.

Off the pitch it has been a tough few months for the 24-year-old, who has had to draw deep on his considerable determination.

The same quality has overseen his relentless rise from his roots at the Romanian club FC Arges Pitesti to Chelsea, via Dinamo Bucharest, Inter Milan, Verona and Parma.

But it could all have been different had he not decided to defy his parents as a six-year-old and insisted that football was always going to come first in his life.

He said: "My parents had gone to a party and specifically told me not to go to football training, but I had to take my chance.

"I sneaked out and never looked back. I didn't want to tell my parents and go holding the hand of my father, I wanted to go and do it on my own.

"I had it rough and tough as a child but enjoyed it all the same.

"In those days our only enjoyment was playing in neighbourhood games against kids from different blocks of flats. We had to play with cheap plastic balls that were very bouncy and no one could afford a leather one.

"I stole some money from my grandfather to buy a leather football because I absolutely had to have one.

"When my father found out, I got a beating.

"He caught me sleeping with the football and asked where I'd got the money from. I remember that first ball very well - it was green and white - and I used to bathe it after every game.

"It was very expensive and no one else had one so I had to look after it. It was my first trophy."

A hunger for more conventional trophiesled him to Stamford Bridge. Mutu has always set himself high standards and considers an Italian cup final appearance with Inter and a league and cup double with Dinamo a poor return from his seven years as a professional.

Chelsea's trophy cabinet has also been empty in recent seasons, but the club's new owners will not accept a team of talented underachievers.

For all Claudio Ranieri's protestations that he is slowly building a team, Mutu acknowledges they are expected to deliver some silverware this season.

He said: "I want to make history but if I don't win things I'll be just another football player.

"I'm on the right track but the trophies are yet to come. Chelsea can have all the best players in the world but need to get the results.

"We're a very good team but we need to get to know each other a little bit more. Then we will reach a more consistent level of performance and could become truly exceptional.

"Since I arrived at Chelsea I do not know what it's like to lose a league game, so we're not doing too badly."

Chelsea's only defeat of the season came in the Champions League against Besiktas, but their unbeaten run will face a stern test tomorrow.

Arsenal are the only other unbeaten Premiership side and, spurred on by the threat of Chelsea's emergence and the envy of their resources, the Gunners will want to prove they remain top dogs in London.

Arsene Wenger's side are often at their best when their backs are against the wall, as they proved at Liverpool a fortnight ago, and Mutu believes they will start as favourites.

He said: "We're not afraid of Arsenal and are prepared to face them on the pitch. They are the established team with the reputation, so the pressure will be on them, not us.

"We have nothing to lose. They have to reconfirm their results of the last two seasons and will be under pressure. We're just contenders and hope to be seriously involved in the Championship struggle.

"I'm not saying we're going to win it, but we will have a say."

Mutu's greatest fear is that he will be remembered as just another player, but there is little ordinary about him.

As well as his remarkable footballing talent he possesses a lively mind and is in the fourth year of a law degree. But if his father had had his way then he would have followed him into mathematics, rather than take a chance in the capricious world of football.

Mutu said: "My father was always on at me to study and I had to solve 30 problems every day before I was allowed to go out and play. My girlfriend was at the other end of the phone telling me the answers so I could finish quickly.

"I was pretty good, actually, and scored 91 per cent in my final exams. Studying law keeps my brain going but I may never use the qualification as I want to be a manager when I finish playing."

He may no longer sleep with her, but one suspects that Mutu will never stray far from his football.