Football fans - and especially Chelsea supporters - will have noticed the recent influx of Portuguese stars with Stamford Bridge manager Jose Mourinho, along with players Felipe Oliveira and Paulo Ferreira.

But the links between Portuguese and English football goes a long way back before Chelsea's recent sigings - or even Helder Postiga's ill-fated move to Tottenham last season.

In fact relations between the two countries go back to the 1966 World Cup.

And Sir Bobby Charlton, who helped England lift the Jules Rimet trophy, still maintains regular contact with one of his semi-final opponents.

He said: "Eusebio is a great friend of mine. I first played against him over 40 years ago. Whenever a club has played against a Portuguese side, or England has played Portugal, it has always been a really good game.

"And even in the 1966 World Cup, people said the best game was the semi-final between England and Portugal. And Portugal is Britain's oldest ally, and it goes back a long time.

"And anyone who goes there will notice there is an affection between Portugal and England."

Mourinho's links with England began when in 1992 he joined Sporting Lisbon as then-manager Sir Bobby Robson's translator.

He followed Sir Bobby to Porto, where the Newcastle manager won two league titles and the Portuguese Cup, before moving to Barcelona.

And Mourinho's former players believe his time under Sir Bobby helped turn him into the formidable coach he is today.

Midfielder Silas, currently playing with Maritmo in Portugal, worked under Mourinhgo at Leiria and said: "I think his time at Barcelona was critical in his development as a coach, the importance of the philosophy of passing, movement and possession.

"He has worked under some fantastic managers such as Sir Bobby Robson and Louis van Gaal."

A number of English players have also enjoyed recent spells in Portugal, including Scott Minto, Michael Thomas and Brian Deane who played under Graeme Souness at Benfica in the late 1990s.

But their time at the club matched that of the manager, and they were transferred soon after Souness's exit following an unsuccessful season-and-a-half spell at the club.

The English trio's unhappy time in Portugal reflected that of Tottenham Hotspur's Helder Postiga.

The 21-year-old striker's £6.25m arrival from Porto was met with great fanfare after he had finished the 2002-03 season with 19 goals and a UEFA Cup winners' medal.

But he clearly did not suit the physical nature of English game, and by the end of the 2003-04 season he could not even make the bench for Spurs - despite still being first choice for his national side.

He was then sold back to Porto, while fellow countryman Pedro Mendes went the other way as part of the deal.

Mendes has since told Spurs fans he will fare better than Postiga, who managed just two goals in22 appearances for the White Hart Lane club.

Mendes, speaking soon after joining up with the club on their pre-season tour of Sweden: "I am a different case to Helder Postiga. I want to be happy in English football.

"English football is very special, with unique characteristics and it is down to me to adapt to it quickly. I have adapted well to the team and my new colleagues. It has gone better than I had hoped."

Whether he or his compatriots at Chelsea will be successful in England remains to be seen.

But they do not have to look far to discover a Portuguese player who has been a hit in the Premiership: Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United.

Fans expected big things from Ronaldo when he took the number seven shirt formerly worn by one David Beckham.

And his £12.2m transfer fee indicated he would be a major player at United... and he didn't disappoint on his debut against Bolton.

Manager Sir Alex Ferguson didn't play down the winger's talents, and said after his debut: "It looks like the fans have a new hero."

But after some standout performances early in the campaign, he began to be known more for his showmanship than his skills as a footballer, until the FA Cup Final.

His display against Millwall at the Millennium stadium showed two things, which Chelsea's new crop should heed.

Firstly, it showed he had listened to his manager; in Sir Alex's words:

"He's had to learn to cut out some things like diving. It's not tolerated in the English game."

And secondly, it showed that it takes time to adjust to a diferent style of play - no matter how good you are.

United are hoping yet another Anglo-Portugal connection will help Ronaldo get even better this season coming as they have welcomed back Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz to Ferguson's team after a less than successful spell in charge at Real Madrid. United won the title before Queiroz left for Spain.

They, like Chelsea, will be hoping having a top Portuguese element to their squad make-up will provide more silverware come May next year.