AS Roma announced the departure of Jose Mourinho on January 16, 2024, six months before his contract was due to expire. While the news took the football fraternity by surprise, Roma's poor run of late provided some context; the Giallorossi were languishing ninth when Mou was asked to leave the club, drifting away from the coveted European spots, and having exited the domestic cup, Coppa Italia, by the hands of their bitterest rivals, Lazio. (More Football News)
Mourinho, as a result, faced his sixth managerial sacking, having previously been dismissed by Chelsea (twice), Real Madrid, Manchester United, and Tottenham. Visibly distraught, he made his way in a car through a crowd of gathered fans at Roma's training ground as he bade farewell to the club he had managed for two-and-a-half years.
Advertisement
Roma had enjoyed their most success in recent times under Mourinho. The Portuguese tactician led the Giallorossi to their first European trophy since the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in the early 1960s in 2021/22, winning the UEFA Europa Conference League at the expense of Feyenoord. Mou nearly made it two in two years, when his Roma side narrowly lost the UEFA Europa League final to serial winners Sevilla. Doing so, they missed out on a UEFA Champions League spot that would have seen them return to the competition for the first time since the 2018-19 season.
Advertisement
Hours after his sacking, Mourinho left a parting note to Roma and their fans on his Instagram channel. He wrote: "Sweat, blood, tears, joy, sadness, love, brothers, history, heart, eternity" (Translated from Italian)
Roma, who are ninth at the time of writing, five points away from a Champions League spot, appointed club great Daniele De Rossi in Mourinho's place shortly after. The 40-year-old joined his former club's backroom staff on a contract until the end of the season - initially - having previously only coached SPAL in Serie B.
