Mourinho says first Roma return will test his emotions

José Mourinho says he will have to put his feelings aside when he returns to the Stadio Olimpico as an opposing coach for the first time since leaving Roma. The Real Madrid coach still calls the club “home”, but told Corriere dello Sport director Ivan Zazzaroni that he must focus on his work rather than the bond with Roma and its supporters.

“I have to defend myself emotionally and prepare to do my job well,” Mourinho said. “To do that, I have to try to forget where I am and who I’m playing against.” He said he had faced former clubs including Inter and Chelsea, but had never experienced this situation with Roma. He also said he had not yet begun preparing for the match and expected “respect and nothing more” from the crowd.

Mourinho said the connection began before he had achieved anything at the club, when around 1,000 supporters welcomed him. He believes fans understood that his priority was Roma’s interests, not his image or his relationships with Italian football’s power brokers, the media or the ownership. He said he made mistakes and lost matches, but supporters knew he had fought for them.

The Conference League trophy remains a defining part of that relationship, Mourinho said. He described it as a major achievement for a club that, in his words, had not won much, and noted that the trophy was still displayed at the entrance to Roma’s training ground. For him, the Budapest final marked the high point of his bond with the fans.

Mourinho also spoke about his departure, saying the sacking hurt but insisting he had never spoken badly about Roma or its owners. He said the airport incident involving referee Anthony Taylor was not his responsibility, while acknowledging that he should answer for insulting Taylor in a garage. Mourinho said the fallout affected his relationship with the ownership and that he was already “out” at that point.

He also defended club icons Francesco Totti and Bruno Conti. Mourinho called Totti untouchable and said he would always stand behind him, while saying he loved Conti. His return now brings those loyalties into direct tension with the job he has to do for Real Madrid: Mourinho says he must prepare himself emotionally as well as prepare his players.