IF THE BLARING HORNS AND chanting celebrations kept them up all night in West London, José Mourinho’s achievement in winning the title for the first time in 50 years for Chelsea also made the Portuguese nation stand up and cheer. “The victory of ‘our’ Chelsea,” 24 Horas, a Lisbon tabloid, suggested, “is a Viagra for national self-esteem.”

And so Portugal rose to acclaim its favourite son yesterday, with the newspapers rushing to outdo each other in their praise for the Chelsea manager. “Saint José Mourinho, the new patron saint of English football,” Record gushed. For the newspaper, topping the Barclays Premiership has wider ramifications that merely bringing the championship back to Stamford Bridge.

“There are few Portuguese as competent, brilliant and efficient as Mourinho,” Record said. “He is the Portuguese that rules abroad and he does not embarrass us at all. It makes us want to shout: we won!”

Suggesting sainthood for Mourinho was mere blasphemy for Correio da Manha, one of the biggest-selling publications in the Catholic country. “In London he was already revered as a god,” it said. “But Chelsea’s win over Bolton, which gave him the title, gave him the aura of invincibility.” There was only one question left. “What next José?” Correio da Manha asked.

By comparison, A Bola, a sports newspaper, was almost downplaying the achievement. “Mourinho is the champion, of course,” ran the headline, as if the outcome of the Premiership was obvious when the Portuguese manager made the switch from FC Porto to Chelsea last summer. Or perhaps they were just keeping some perspective, because even if 24 Horas is right, winning the title in his first year could well be a hard act for even the divine Mourinho to follow.