- Mourinho was fired by Roma last month after a poor first half of the season
- It has emerged that he returned a ring that the players had gifted him after the European victory
- A lap of honor for a victory, apologizing when you lose… When did it come to this? Listen to the It all starts podcast
Jose Mourinho left a stunningly bitter farewell note to his Roma players after ‘feeling betrayed’ by the way he was sacked.
The Portuguese coach lost his job at the Serie A club last month despite leading them to back-to-back European finals.
Mourinho, 61, did not hide his emotions when he left Roma but now the full details of his vindictive departure from the Stadio Olimpico are emerging.
According to Il Messaggero, Mourinho returned a ring given to him by his players after they won the Europa Conference League in 2022.
He left it in Captain Lorenzo Pellegrini’s safe before departure.
Jose Mourinho left a bitter letter to the Roma players he felt betrayed him after he was sacked last month. He also returned a ring they had gifted him
It is reported that Mourinho felt betrayed by his players and the club when he was let go
The 61-year-old led Roma to Conference League success in 2022 but was sacked almost two years later
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But it has now emerged that Mourinho also left a cheeky note saying: ‘If you are men, give it back to me.’
It expressed how Mourinho felt betrayed by his players, who he said contributed to him losing his job.
Roma were ninth in Serie A at the time of his dismissal, but the players have since rallied around Mourinho’s successor, former captain Daniele de Rossi, with three wins from three.
On Monday evening they defeated Cagliari 4-0, moving up to fifth place in the Serie A standings.
Mourinho, the former coach of Chelsea, Manchester United and Real Madrid, was adored by Roma fans after leading them to glory in the Europa Conference League with a 1-0 win over Feyenoord in Tirana.
The ‘Special One’ was so delighted with this success that he got a tattoo with the Conference League trophy next to the European Cup and the Europa League.
His players gave him a ring to commemorate their achievement, which was almost surpassed last season when they reached the Europa League final but lost to Sevilla on penalties.
Mourinho did not have the best relationship with his players and he felt they played a role in his replacement for interim boss De Rossi after a turbulent first half of the season.
Report suggests Mourinho left the ring he was given and the bitter suicide note in captain Lorenzo Pellegrini’s safe (pictured)
Roma appointed former captain Daniele de Rossi (centre) as manager just hours after Mourinho was sacked
As Mail Sport revealed on the It’s All Kicking Off podcast last week, Mourinho is keen to make a sensational – if unlikely – return to Old Trafford.
Sources close to the Portuguese manager say he feels he has ‘unfinished business’ after leaving Old Trafford in December 2018 and has ‘made it his mission’ to take charge again if the opportunity ever presents itself future arises.
Mourinho is also said to be keen to work with the new regime at United, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS taking over football operations as part of the petrochemical billionaire’s 25 per cent investment in the club.
“His ambition is to return to United,” a friend explained. “He feels like he has unfinished business there after how it ended last time, and he made it his mission to get back.”
Mourinho took charge of United in 2016 following the departure of Louis van Gaal. He won the Europa League and Carabao Cup in his first season and followed that up with a second-place finish in the Premier League that year, although they did finish 19 points behind rivals City.
He signed a contract extension lasting until 2021, but tension grew between himself and those in positions of power, especially after the club missed a string of transfer targets and he was sacked following a defeat to Liverpool.
Until the end, Mourinho retained United’s subsequent matchday support, although there was a sense of inevitability about his departure.