Jose Mourinho has been unveiled the new head coach of Fenerbahce.
The Turkish Super Lig club confirmed on Saturday they had opened talks with the former Manchester United, Chelsea and Real Madrid boss.
Fenerbahce later posted a video of Mourinho on their social media channels, with him saying: “Merhaba (hello) Fenerbahce fans. See you tomorrow in Kadikoy and let’s start our journey together.”
More than 200,000 people watched his unveiling on YouTube after Fenerbahce broadcasted the event online.
Mourinho said: “I want to thank you for your love. Normally a coach is loved after victories. In this case I feel that I am loved before the victories. That for me is a big responsibility that I feel.
“I promise you from this moment, I belong to your family. This shirt is my skin. Football is passion and there is no better place to feel that passion.
“Since the moment I met the president, I wanted to play for you because you are the soul of the football club. I want to be the coach of all of you.
“I want to work in Turkish football. I want to help the Turkish league. But the most important thing for me is Fenerbahce.
“From the moment I sign my contract, your dreams are now my dreams.”
🗣️ “Football is passion and there is no better place to feel that passion”
Jose Mourinho speaks to Fenerbahce supporters after being unveiled as their new head coach 🇹🇷 pic.twitter.com/oNvSJdZifc
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) June 2, 2024
The 61-year-old has been out of football since being sacked as Roma head coach in January. He replaces Ismail Kartal, who was in his third spell as Fenerbahce head coach.
Fenerbahce missed out on this season’s title to city rivals Galatasaray, despite losing just one of their 38 league matches and finishing on 99 points.
They have not won the Turkish Super Lig since 2014 with a Turkish Cup in 2023 their only major success in the past decade.
Mourinho has won 26 trophies across a managerial career which has spanned more than two decades. He won the Champions League with Porto and Inter Milan, in addition to league titles with Chelsea and Real Madrid.
His last job, at Roma, saw him guide the Italian club to a first European title since 1961 with the Europa Conference League in 2022.
The following season they lost the Europa League final to Sevilla in a penalty shootout.
The job will be Mourinho’s first outside of Europe’s top five leagues since his spell as Porto manager between 2002 and 2004.
Source: The Athletic
