‘This shirt is my skin’
EPA
Image caption: Jose Mourinho has been out of work since being sacked by Roma in January
Jose Mourinho told Fenerbahce fans “this shirt is my skin” as he was presented as the new coach of the Turkish Super Lig club.
Thousands attended the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium in Istanbul on Sunday to watch the signing ceremony, which took place on a huge stage built on the field.
“Normally a coach is loved after victories,” said two-time Champions League winner Mourinho. “In this case I feel that I am loved before the victories.
“That is a big responsibility that I feel. I promise you from this moment, I belong to your family. This shirt is my skin.”
The 61-year-old replaces Ismail Kartal, who left Fenerbahce on Friday after they finished second in the league to city rivals Galatasaray, despite losing just one game and recording 99 points last term.
Mourinho has been out of work since being sacked by Roma in January after two-and-a-half seasons in charge. Details of his new contract are yet to be confirmed.
The former Chelsea, Real Madrid and Manchester United boss is the only manager to have won the Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League.
He has won 21 major honours across a 24-year managerial career that began in his home country Portugal at Benfica and included spells at Porto, Inter Milan and Tottenham, where he was relieved of his duties prior to the 2021 Carabao Cup final.
Mourinho’s last piece of silverware came with Roma in 2022, when he led them to the Europa Conference League – the club’s first European trophy – and helped them reach the Europa League final the following season, where they lost to Sevilla on penalties.