A SMILE creeps across the face of Filipe Morais as a certain headline crops into the conversation.

“The man who turned down Mourinho” was how the Daily Mail once christened him in a long-forgotten interview.

Morais, who has now made City the ninth club of a nomadic career, has a more interesting back history than most.

And nowhere more so than where it all started under the bright lights of Chelsea.

It was there that the young Morais encountered another rather higher-profile Portuguese, Jose Mourinho.

The winger, just 18 at the time, played in Mourinho’s first game in charge in 2004, appearing as a late substitute in a friendly at Oxford. New signing Mateja Kezman scored Chelsea’s goal to cancel out one set up by one-time Bantam Robert Wolleaston.

“Mourinho was a really nice guy,” Morais recalled. “He’d give everyone the time of day – and being Portuguese as well helped me because we’d talk more.

“I spent a lot of time with the first-team squad, especially in pre-season when the young players who had done well would go on their tours.

“Unfortunately, I was never going to get in the team being a winger. I had Arjen Robben, Joe Cole, (Shaun) Wright-Phillips and Damien Duff in front of me – I never stood a chance!

“But Mourinho would explain the situation. He was under pressure to produce and would say that if I was at another club, I’d get more involved.”

A loan spell with MK Dons showed Morais what he was missing as he got the opportunity to play meaningful football in the Championship.

So when he returned to Stamford Bridge and the offer of a further year’s deal, his mind was made up.

“It would have been easy for me to go back and just sit there on good money. But I was never going to play and I’d enjoyed it so much at MK. That opened my eyes.

“Everyone wants to stay at Chelsea and play for them but you aren’t really playing for Chelsea because you’re not in the first team.

“It was too difficult to break in. Even though I was in and around the squad and training a lot with them, I was never involved on a match day.

“That grinds on you after a while after playing four years in the reserves.

“So I knew it was the right thing to leave but I took so much experience just from being around those sort of people and training with them.

“I’ve bumped into Andre Villas Boas since, who used to do all the analysis on the opposition with Chelsea. He was Tottenham manager and we played in a pre-season friendly before meeting up in the West End for a meal afterwards.

“I’ve not seen Mourinho but I’ve got no doubts we’d sit and chat for an hour if we did because he’s that nice. I’m sure one day we’ll bump into each other again and he’ll help me out with any advice.”

Morais, whose parents brought him to England as a four-year-old, joined Millwall and the magical mystery tour around England and Scotland began.

He eventually wound up at City this summer via St Johnstone, Hibernian, Inverness, Oldham and Stevenage – where he ripped up the final year of his contract after deciding he could not play on under boss Graham Westley.

Morais said: “Things changed with a different manager and different ideas. It just didn’t suit me.

“It killed me personally and financially because I had a good deal but I just wasn’t happy. I couldn’t do another year.”

For a player who admitted he had chased the money in the past, priorities have changed. That was why he was prepared to gamble on earning a short-term deal at Valley Parade.

Budget constraints meant that City could not offer anything beyond the end of December but Morais is delighted to grab the opportunity. He has moved his family north and intends to make the most of this latest fresh start.

“I’ve never enjoyed my football as much as I am now because of what I’ve been through in the last year. Sometimes you take it for granted.

“The great thing here was that once I came in the door, I didn’t want to go. As soon as I sat down with the manager, Bradford just felt right.

“I could have sorted my future straight away somewhere else but it was more enjoyable here.

“I’ve never really settled at any club and appreciated where I was. That was probably down to lack of maturity.

“Although I had the ability, I didn’t use it to my full potential so you end up hopping from place to place.

“But now I’m a totally different person to what I was and my life is in a totally different place. I’ve settled down and we’re getting married next year.

“And here I’ve found a club that I really like; a big club that are going to push me. So that’s what I’ve gone for and I won’t let this chance pass me by.”