Jose Mourinho has officially returned to management after agreeing a deal to take over Turkish side Fenerbahce
In one of the worst kept secrets in football, the Portuguese football coach, who was sacked as Roma boss in January, was officially confirmed at his unveiling by the Turkish outfit on Sunday evening.
Tens of thousands of fans gathered at Fenerbahce’s Sukru Saracoglu Stadium to greet him, with Mourinho blowing a kiss to supporters, while he was even hugged on stage as his appointment was confirmed.
Mourinho held up the Fenerbahce shirt, declaring: “Normally a coach is loved after victories,” said two-time Champions League winner Mourinho. “In this case I feel that I am loved before the victories.
“That is a big responsibility that I feel. I promise you from this moment, I belong to your family.
This shirt is now my skin. Your dreams are now my dreams”.
Mourinho has made no secret of his appointment at the side who finished second to Galatasaray this season, despite finishing on 99 points.
The 61-year-old replaces Ismail Kartal, who left Fenerbahce on Friday after they finished second in the league to city rivals Galatasaray, despite losing just one game and recording 99 points last term.
Mourinho has been out of work since being sacked by Roma in January after two-and-a-half seasons in charge. Details of his new contract are yet to be confirmed.
The former Chelsea, Real Madrid and Manchester United boss is the only manager to have won the Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League.
He has won 21 major honours across a 24-year managerial career that began in his home country Portugal at Benfica and included spells at Porto, Inter Milan and Tottenham, where he was relieved of his duties prior to the 2021 Carabao Cup final.
Mourinho’s last piece of silverware came with Roma in 2022, when he led them to the Europa Conference League – the club’s first European trophy – and helped them reach the Europa League final the following season, where they lost to Sevilla on penalties.
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