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José Mourinho didn’t miss the opportunity to pat himself on the back in a congratulatory message to the Spanish stars after their Euro 2024 final win over England.
Luis de la Fuente’s team won 2-1 in the Berlin top-flight on Sunday evening, thanks to Mikel Oyarzabal’s winning goal in the 86th minute.
And their squad included several players the Portuguese manager managed during his three-year spell at Spanish giants Real Madrid.
Mourinho took to Instagram to congratulate captain Alvaro Morata and defender Nacho Fernandez, joking that they benefited from his ability to recognise their potential in Los Blancos’ youth academy.
But he also admitted his foresight was lacking when it came to right-back Dani Carvajal, who was loaned to Bayer Leverkusen as a youngster and had to wait until the arrival of Carlo Ancelotti in 2013 to make his debut for Madrid.
Jose Mourinho gave himself a pat on the back in his congratulatory message to Spain after their Euro 2024 victory
The Portuguese manager gave two players from the winning Spanish team their first-team debuts, captain Alvaro Morata (left) and Nacho Fernandez (right).
Mourinho admitted he missed the potential of Dani Dani Carvajal (centre), who was sent out on loan during his time at Los Blancos
Mourinho called Luis de la Fuente’s team the ‘best team’ of the tournament after their impressive victory
The former Chelsea and Manchester United manager wrote: ‘2024/Champions League winner captain Nacho Fernandez/European Champion captain Alvaro Morata.
‘Many congratulations to them and to the coach who gave them their debut when they were just kids in the Academy. The same coach who didn’t understand that Dani Carvajal was someone else.
‘Many congratulations to Mr. De La Fuente for a great job. The best team won!’
Mourinho’s statement that “the best team won” was shared by almost all European Championship observers as Spain swept aside every opponent they faced on their way to a record four titles.
La Roja achieved a perfect result from their seven games, beating reigning champions Italy, World Cup finalists France and favourites Portugal and England on their way to the title.
Mourinho is preparing for his first season at Turkish club Fenerbahce and is tasked with leading the club to the Super Lig title for the first time since 2013-14, after a heart-breaking title race.
The Istanbul club collected 99 points, winning 31 and losing only one of their 38 league games, but lost to arch-rivals Galatasaray.
Mourinho is preparing for his first season at Turkish club Fenerbahce and has been tasked with leading them back to the Super Lig title
Mourinho drew tens of thousands of fans to his unveiling at Fenerbahce’s Sukru Saracoglu Stadium in June, hopefully ushering in a new era of glory.
After being sacked by Roma in January, the Portuguese manager received a warm welcome and gave an impassioned speech.
He held up a Fenerbahce shirt and declared: ‘This shirt is now my skin. Your dreams are now my dreams.’