The former manager of Manchester United, Tottenham, and Chelsea signed his contract at Sukru Saracoglu Stadium on Sunday. Fans cheered and chanted his name as he waved the club’s yellow shirt.
Mourinho, who signed a two-year deal, expressed his gratitude to the fans for their warm welcome. He had arrived from London after attending the Champions League final.
“I want to thank you for the love I felt from the moment my name was linked with Fenerbahce,” he said. “Usually, a coach is loved after victories. Here, I feel loved before any victories. It’s a big responsibility. From now on, I belong to your family. This shirt is my skin.”
“Football is passion, and there’s no better place to feel that than here. Meeting President Ali Koc convinced me that Fenerbahce is where I want to be. I want to work for Turkish football and help improve it, but most importantly, I want to focus on Fenerbahce. From the moment I signed, your dreams became my dreams.”
Mourinho has been available since leaving AS Roma in January, where he won the Europa Conference League. He attended the Champions League final on Saturday and spoke to Sky Sports about the challenge of qualifying for the competition next season with Fenerbahce.
“It’s hard because we have three rounds of qualifying and eight players at the Euros who won’t be back for pre-season,” Mourinho said. “But I love challenges, so we will fight to be in the Champions League.”
Fenerbahce, one of Turkey’s most successful clubs, has not won the league title since 2014.
Mourinho has won 26 major trophies with Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Manchester United, and Roma. He is the only manager to have won the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League.
