The truth about Jose's lucky coat

Jose Mourinho's famous grey trenchcoat is the work of Italian designer Giorgio Armani and NOT discount clothes chain Matalan.

Opposition fans have taunted the Chelsea manager about his fashion sense all season, picking up on his attachment to the item many assumed to be his lucky charm. The chant of 'That coat's from Matalan' has been popular as rival fans seeking to demean the suave Portuguese as his side march towards the Premiership title.

But, ahead of tomorrow's Champions League encounter with Bayern Munich, it has emerged that the coat is far more chic than cheap.

Mourinho also identified comfort - as opposed to superstitution - as the reason why he wears it so frequently. He told Nuts magazine: "People say I only have one coat and that it must be a lucky charm which is why I don't change it. But it's not true - I just love this coat. It's warm and soft because it has a high percentage of cashmere in it.

"I chose it - nobody imposed it on me. It wasn't given to me by a sponsor. It's not official club clothing but it's nice and long and I can remove it for interviews and display my official Chelsea blazer underneath. I've had other coats sent to me but I don't want to change out of this one. Maybe I will when the gentle spring arrives. But if anyone wants to buy it, they will have to pay me a lot of money."

His wife Tami bought the coat for Mourinho five years ago and he has been sported it at most games this winter.