José Mourinho is once again out of a job after the administration of Serie A side AS Roma terminated his contract.
The Portuguese tactician became the manager of the Giallorossi in the 2021/22 season after an unfortunate stint with Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.
In the two-and-a-half years he was at the club, he led them to two European finals – the 2021/22 UEFA Europa Conference League final and the 2022/23 UEFA Europa League final. He won the Conference League final and was a poor refereeing decision away from clinching the Europa League trophy, which also brought an end to his winning streak in European finals.
His record in the Serie A, however, was not the best as he was unable to take the team to the top four in both seasons. Yet, the 60-year-old tactician, who is reversed as “The Special One” thanks to his infamous quote decades ago when he first moved to Chelsea, was expected to last longer at Roma.
Unfortunately, his third season conundrum – which has now become a staple of his career – struck again and has led to him losing another job.
His disciplinary record and his combustive nature did not help his case this season as well. Up until his sacking on 16 January 2024, the former Manchester United manager had more red cards than all the players in the Serie A from the start of the 2023/24 season.
Mourinho, however, will leave a legacy at the club as the first manager to take Roma to two European finals, doing so in back-to-back seasons. Their Europa Conference League win was also their first title in decades, which also seals his status at the club as “The Special One”.
A statement from Dan and Ryan Friedkin, the American owners of AS Roma, after Mourinho’s sacking reads: “We would like to thank José on behalf of all of us at AS Roma for his passion and efforts since his arrival at the club.”
“We will always have great memories of his tenure at Roma, but we believe that an immediate change is in the best interests of the club.”
“We wish José and his assistants all the best in their future endeavours.”
Mourinho’s sacking also came less than a week after the club reportedly handed him a 30-day ultimatum to fix their season. Now that the club has gone back on that ultimatum, former Roma midfielder Daniele De Rossi is being considered as their manager in the interim while they work on several options, one of which is the equally combustible Antonio Conte.
