Hiram Moreno
Many considered him done for good, arguing that his magic had run out and that his tactics no longer worked in modern soccer, but José Mourinho silenced all of his critics, demonstrating once again that few coaches can match his ability in a European final.
His current team, AS Roma, took home the inaugural UEFA Europa Conference League trophy by beating Feyenoord of the Netherlands 1-0, making “La Lupa” the first Italian team to win a continental tournament since 2010.
Coincidentally, it was José Mourinho himself who achieved that feat 12 years ago by leading Inter Milan to the win in the UEFA Champions League and a historic triple feat for the “Nerazurri”, which remains the only hat-trick by an Italian team in history to date.
These two feats of Mourinho with Italian teams are part of an excellent record of the Portuguese coach in continental finals. During the beginning of his career with Porto, Mourinho led the “Dragões” to their first UEFA Cup title in 2003, and in 2004 he would do it again but in the Champions League, beating Monaco 3-0 to worldwide acclaim and obtaining the second “orejona” in the history of the club.
José Mourinho’s time at Manchester United was also highly questioned, and he left through the back door of the club. However, there is one undeniable reality: Mourinho is the last manager to have led the “Red Devils” to a win, after having beaten a promising Ajax 2-0 in the UEFA Europa League final in 2016. Since then, United have been fruitless in almost all the competitions they play.
You can love it or hate it, but the truth is that José Mourinho is part of history as one of those mythical coaches who can achieve what many barely dream of. Surely Tottenham Hotspur fans are pulling their hair out right now, considering that the board fired the Portuguese coach days before playing an EFL Cup final, which meant the first time he has finished his time at a club without having won a trophy since 2002.
Will José Mourinho’s future be at AS Roma?
The once arrogant and outgoing José Mourinho once declared that he would never coach a small team in his career. Roma is not exactly a small team, but neither is it one of the biggest in Italy, although this has not mattered to Mourinho, who has developed an excellent bond with the city, the club and the fans.
But time leaves its mark, and the Portuguese coach is now a much calmer guy, closer to the “Happy One” he previously claimed to be. For all of this, José Mourinho is not expected to leave the club in the near future, although you never know with soccer.
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