Jose Mourinho revealed his excitement for his new challenge as the manager of Roma in his first official interview with the club’s channels.
Roma stunned the football world by appointing Mourinho as their next head coach recently in a landmark moment for the club. He was greeted by a legion of enthusiastic fans as he touched down in the Italian capital on Friday.
The anticipation has already been building for the legendary manager’s arrival – and it seems that feeling is very much reflected from the man himself.
In his first interview with asroma.com, he said: “I am excited since the first day. And I really mean it, since the first day. Since the first day I met the owners and Tiago [Pinto] and I had immediately this very positive feeling. And that means a lot to me.
“So that enthusiasm is based on, of course, the conversations we had, the ideas we exchanged, but also on something I value a lot: which is the human feelings. Empathy. So since Day 1 I have been looking forward to the real Day 1 – which is the first day that I arrive in Rome.”
Mourinho was brought to the city by owner Dan Friedkin on his private jet, and he has already been struck with the way that the club hierarchy are overseeing the project.
He said: “I left our [initial] conversation with the feeling that this is not the Friedkins’ project, this is not a Jose Mourinho project, this is not a Tiago Pinto project, this is an AS Roma project. That was my feeling. And that is something that I was really impressed about.
“Because, as you know, during my career I have had different experiences and I have worked with clubs in similar situations, with let’s say a ‘foreign’ ownership, and I was impressed by the fact that Mr. Friedkin and his son [Ryan] were always speaking about the Roma fans. They were not speaking about themselves, they were not speaking about their project, they were speaking about the fans.
“In so many occasions you feel that the owners speak about the clubs like ‘their clubs’ – which, in reality, by one point of view is true – but I found them speaking about the club for the Romanisti, and it is for them that we want to make it. And that was very, very important for me because, of course, I know the reality. We finished the season 29 points behind the Scudetto [winners] and 16 points behind fourth place, but a club is not the last league table, the club is what a club is, in general, and I know very well what AS Roma is.”
Given those standings, it will be a gradual process for Roma to get back where they belong – and where a coach of Mourinho’s level belongs. Hence, he is keen to take things step by step over the course of his three-year contract – and he hinted that he could stay even longer than that if all goes well.
“I know the fans, I know the passion, and since Day 1 I felt the project is … if you feel it as a project of ‘I am going to arrive tomorrow and win the day after tomorrow’ then that is not a project. But this is a project where the owners want to leave a legacy, they want to do something important for the club, in a very sustainable way. Creating the basis for success.
“Hopefully that success arrives with me, because the contract is a three-year contract – or, the first contract is, maybe there will be a second one day. So I hope that the results of our work will come during my time. I really want that to happen. But let’s go step-by-step. I am very happy to belong to this project; which, I repeat, is not anyone’s project, but is the AS Roma project.”
Mourinho is back in Italian football for the first time in over a decade, when he previously helped Inter pip Roma to the Scudetto.
Now representing the Giallorossi colours, he is keen to be part of the passionate environment the club’s fans provide.
“Of course I played against Roma, I played in the Olimpico a few times. I know the power. I know in the best moments, in the great moments, how powerful they can be. But what is really incredible is the fact that in the last couple of decades, there have not been many moments for the fans to enjoy – and it looks like their passion is always there [regardless].
“It is very easy to be a hard supporter of a team that is continuously winning, and another to be in this kind of situation – where in the last couple of decades there has not been too much to celebrate, unfortunately. That, to me, it means a lot.
“Even between friends sometimes, we joke with rivals, Portuguese teams, English teams, you have to be a big supporter and show what you are, always. And for me that is very, very obvious [that Roma fans do that]. But I also believe they need a light, and for me the light is what we are going to try to build for the future.”
Embed from Getty ImagesMourinho’s arrival in the capital makes his appointment feel much more real. Upon the initial announcement, fans were in shock, as nobody had predicted that such a high-calibre coach would be arriving.
Even the man himself was impressed with the way no details spilled out beforehand.
“First of all let me say that what happened, the way it happened, is almost unique in the football world. I think the club was amazing in the way they managed the situation. I believe that one minute before the official announcement no-one could even imagine that was about to happen. That is not typical of the football industry.
“I think this is a lesson for the football industry, the way Roma managed the situation and kept it secret until the last second. So I think that created an incredible impact and I am really proud to be part of this, because I think it is quite an historic moment for modern football. And I am not saying that because it is me, or because it is Roma, but the situation and the way it happened is quite iconic, impossible in modern football. But it was possible.”
The ensuing reception was largely positive, drawing reactions from all over the world. Roma gained attention from places they normally wouldn’t have – all thanks to one man.
As a result, the fans have been hugely enthusiastic so far – even if Mourinho insists he still has to prove something to them.
“The way people reacted… I don’t think I deserve that. Because I did nothing for them. Of course, I was emotional; I was pleased, grateful. Of course, there is even more responsibility on my shoulders to try not to let the people with that passion down.
“I can only say that what they did for me, before I did something for them – because I did nothing for them yet – I can only be extra motivated to work.
“And again, going back always to Day 1 and conversation one, the same way the owners think about them there is no way for me to run away from it, so I am going to try to do everything to pay, in a football way, all the love and the passion they have shown to me. I am really grateful for that.”
The work begins now for Mourinho, and it’s sure to be an exciting ride for Roma.
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