Mourinho hails Roma as most beautiful career experience, but says ‘My Rome is over’

Former Roma manager José Mourinho has opened up about his time at the club, describing it as the “most beautiful” place of his entire coaching career — while also confirming that his chapter with the Giallorossi has definitively ended.

In an interview with Il Giornale, the Portuguese coach heaped praise on the club’s supporters, the Stadio Olimpico atmosphere, and the extraordinary celebrations that followed their Europa Conference League triumph.

“For me, Roma was the most beautiful place of my career,” Mourinho said. “I’ve never felt such an amazing environment around a football team — the Olimpico always full, what people feel for the players.”

When asked about the high level of need and expectation at Roma, Mourinho brushed aside any suggestion of pressure being a problem. “Is the level of need high at Roma? It’s not a drama,” he said, pointing to the joy of the club’s 2022 European title. “Because when we won the Conference, the party was crazy: not even in the triumphs I had in the Champions League did I see scenes like this.”

But the 61-year-old also made it clear that his time with the club is finished. “But my Rome is over.”

Asked why, Mourinho was largely guarded. “I don’t want to say anything else. Indeed, one thing,” he added, before delivering a sharp defense of the fanbase. “No one should take it out on the Roma fans saying that it’s their fault if they don’t win. The Giallorossi fans are the ones who help the team — no one should touch them.”

Mourinho left Roma in January 2024 after two and a half years in charge, leading the club to their first major European trophy in decades. He has since taken over at Turkish side Fenerbahçe.