José Mourinho, one of the best soccer coaches of his generation, is taking up a new challenge. On Sunday, Mourinho was unveiled as the new manager of the Turkish side of Fenerbahce.
Mourinho was out of a job since being fired by Seria A club AS Roma. He arrives at Fenerbahce as a replacement for departing head coach İsmail Kartal, who was fired despite losing just one game in the Süper Lig. However, Fener came up short in their bid to win the national title, finishing with three points less than champions Galatasaray.
Mourinho was officially unveiled as Fenerbache’s new manager during an event organized at Şükrü Saracoğlu stadium. There, Mourinho inked a two-year contract while also addressing thousands of fans in attendance.
“I want to thank you for your love, the love that I felt from the first moment where my name was first connected with Fenerbahçe,” Mourinho said. “Normally, a coach is loved after victories. In this case, I feel that I am loved before victories. That, for me, is a big responsibility that I feel. I promise you that, from this moment, I belong to your family. This shirt is my skin.”
Mourinho will be tasked with bringing Fenerbahce the first national title since 2013–14, as well as helping it make a significant run in European competitions. Fener is the most successful club in the country, winning the Turkish league record 28 times.
While his previous stints with clubs didn’t end in the most amicable way, there is no denying that Mourinho won trophies at almost every club he coached. He has two Champions League wins with Porto and Inter Milan, three Premier League titles with Chelsea, a La Liga title with Real Madrid, a UEFA Europa League trophy with Manchester United, and most recently, a UEFA Europa Conference League trophy with AS Roma. The only club with which he didn’t win a trophy is Tottenham.
