sport news THE EURO FILES: Jose Mourinho and PSG can deliver the Euro crown they all crave trends now
When Jose Mourinho won the Champions League final with Inter in 2010 he didn’t even go back to Milan for the celebrations.
The final had been in Madrid, he had already agreed to join Madrid, so he stayed in Madrid, while his players celebrated without their coach, at the San Siro the following day.
Mourinho had just delivered the club’s first European Cup in 45 years, fulfilling the dream of a tearful president Massimo Moratti.
But for his next mission he would have Cristiano Ronaldo in his team. He would be the highest paid manager in Real Madrid’s history. And he would have complete power, once he’d ousted Sporting Director Jorge Valdano within the first season.
Mourinho was so confident of himself three months in, he told Madrid he could take over as Portugal manager and do both jobs at once.
Jose Mourinho is 90 minutes from leading Roma to the Europa League final
Mourinho ended Inter Milan's 45-year wait for a European Cup by lifting the trophy in 2010
He felt invincible. Had you told him then that in the following 13 years he would never again reach a Champions League final, he would not have believed you.
And so to Paris Saint Germain, 2023, and Kylian Mbappe.
Mourinho is 90 minutes from leading Roma to the Europa League final after Thursday’s 1-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen.
England’s Tammy Abraham was inspired in the second half and set up the winner.
The Olympic Stadium was a sell-out as it has been all season after last year’s Conference success – Roma’s first trophy in 14 years.
But PSG want to whisk him away and he knows it, for all that he said in his pre-match media conference that no one from the French club had spoken to him yet.
He’s happy in Rome but he’s also talked about the frustrations of not being able to compete. And of course if you are PSG you don’t talk to Mourinho you talk to Jorge Mendes, as Real Madrid did in 2010.
Time is running out for the club’s Qatari owners. Mbappe is not going to wait around to win a Champions League forever. The contract extension he signed last year has a release clause that can be activated in 2024.
And maybe time is running out for Mourinho too. Before the inevitable Saudi pay day there will not be many more invitations to win the Champions League. And for all the troubles at the Paris club (the ultras have now gone on strike and wont attend the home game with Ajaccio, Saturday, as they close in on the Ligue 1 title) they still have the financial muscle and the world’s best player to make a Champions League realistic.
For Mourinho, who speaks good French, it would also be a chance to do right, what he did wrong at Madrid.
In 2010 they were also yearning for a European Cup – desperate to be the first club to win it 10 times.
But Mourinho could only reach three semi-finals and then gave way to Carlo Ancelotti who won the trophy in his first season.
He would not do everything differently of course. Just as he insisted on club legends Raul and Guti
