Jose Mourinho has built a formidable reputation, not to mention a huge fortune, on his ability to outfox his opponents.
So when quarantine officers turned up to seize the Chelsea FC manager's pet Yorkshire terrier, it would hardly have been surprising if they faced some fancy footwork.
During a heated stand-off at his £5 million home in Central London, the 44-year-old Portuguese said he had to make a mobile phone call, then went outside with the tiny animal under his arm.
When he returned, it was nowhere to be seen and he told the dog warden and two policemen that it had run away.
Mourinho was held for obstructing the police and was cautioned after being taken to a nearby police station.
Dog wardens spent a day searching the streets and local parks for the lost Yorkie without success – until sources at Chelsea let it be known that the dog had, miraculously, turned up "safe and well".
It led to suspicions that the wily Mourinho, who earns £5.2 million a year, had hidden the dog in or near his house and it had never been lost in the first place.
He could face an unlimited fine or up to 12 months in prison if he is found to have breached anti-rabies laws by bringing his dog into the country without the necessary health checks.
As he returned home, the Special One', as he humbly refers to himself, refused to elaborate on how or where his pet had been found.
I heard that he called in an ex Chelsea player who specialises in this kind of thing to help find the mut......it was Dan PET-RESCUE
