Jose Mourinho spoke for the first time about the Giallorossi’s decision to sack him in January in a recent interview with ex-Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand.
While appearing on Ferdinand’s podcast, FiveUk, Mourinho briefly touched upon his dismissal from the capital club.
“It is the owner’s decision. You have to respect it, I did not debate it,” said Mourinho who was replaced by Daniele De Rossi in mid-January for the remainder of the season.
“I feel that the fans are always the heart of football,” he continued. “But there is a ownership you must take into account. When the owner decides, he must be respected.”
“This was the dismissal that hurt me the most in all of my career, ” he added. “I gave everything, I gave my heart and made some decisions that were not too intelligent from a professional point of view. I have rejected great offers, the first one was difficult to refuse because it came from Portugal, then from Saudi Arabia. It was a huge offer, I am usually pragmatic in my choices and try to control my emotions, but in this situation I decided by listening to my emotions.”
“So when I was sent away by Roma it hurt. I have the feeling that I brought a lot of joy to the fans, two consecutive finals don’t happen often, especially in a club like Roma. When I walked down the street people would shout at me ‘Take us to Dublin!’. In my head I had the third consecutive European final in mind, but you have to respect the club owner’s decision and I’m respecting it.”
“I don’t want to talk about Roma beyond what I’ve said, I don’t want to go into details. It’s not the first time I’ve left a club, but it’s the first time I’ve had a different feeling. After leaving a club you have to move on and learn from that experience. I don’t want to talk publicly about what happened.”
