Mourinho is not thinking about the end of his career yet
The Portuguese, who took over at Fenerbahçe at the start of this season, hopes to coach for at least another 10 years
José Mourinho is completing his first months in charge of Fenerbahçe and explained what led him to move to Turkey.
“I think it was Fenerbahçe who chose me. It was the other way around. I waited calmly, analyzing. There were different offers. I met with different clubs, presidents and sporting directors. I was in no rush. There were three candidates for the presidency and they all came to talk to me. They made me feel how much they wanted me. I was also motivated to come to a new country and help the club in its ambition to end a difficult period. Sporting director Mário [Branco] put the ambitions, dreams and conditions of this club on the table. I was motivated, because it was a new country, it wasn’t the Premier League again, Serie A , Portugal. It was something new for me,” he began by saying, in an interview with HT Sport .
The Portuguese coach made a comparison with the times when he managed Chelsea .
“It’s different. When I worked at Chelsea , my house was 10 minutes from the stadium and I would walk home after the game. If I went for a walk in Turkey, I wouldn’t be able to walk 10 metres. But I love the pressure, the way people live it. And it’s great to work in a big city with lots of clubs. It was the same in England when I was at Chelsea or Tottenham . Tottenham, Chelsea, Arsenal , Fulham , Brentford , West Ham . They’re from the same city, but they can’t be compared to the reality we live in Istanbul,” he said.
The last foreign coach to be champion in Turkey was Zico, at Fenerbahçe , in 2006/2007.
“I’ve heard a lot of things. If I believed everything I hear, I would have packed up my things and left. I prefer to learn on my own. Turkish coaches understand the culture here better. That’s why I’m trying to learn as much as I can about the Turkish league. That’s my focus. I left Portugal 20 years ago and have worked in four different countries. I’ve always had the ability to learn quickly, adapt and win trophies,” he said.
The coach confessed that he plans to coach for at least another 10 seasons, when asked if Fenerbahçe could be included in his documentary: «Of course. I would like to say that it will be released in January 2025. There will be different episodes. It will not be a single documentary. I am not sure if it will be three or four. But the aim will be five or six. Then there will be Fenerbahçe, Istanbul. But it will not be the last episode. It will continue. Because I still have at least 10 years of my career. I will not end my career after two years at Fenerbahçe. There are at least 10 more years.»
Asked whether the future could involve a return to the Premier League or coaching a national team.
“My goal is to be successful at Fenerbahçe and for them to want me to stay longer. That’s my goal. I’ve had opportunities to coach a national team before and I’ve always turned them down. [A coach’s] job is to wait for a European Championship or a World Cup. I have a lot of energy to spend now. Maybe one day, when I’m old and tired, but not now,” he added.
