Jose Mourinho guided Inter Milan to UEFA Champions League glory on Saturday, before confirming he was poised to leave the Italian giants with Real Madrid ready to welcome the history-making coach.
Inter beat Bayern Munich 2-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu but Mourinho, having won an historic treble, claimed he has other challenges ahead. Having become only the third coach to have won Europe's premier competition with two different clubs (he won it with Porto in 2004) he said he now wants to go one better. "I want to be the only coach to win the Champions League with three different clubs," he said. "It's more likely that I will leave rather than stay."
Mourinho, who joined Inter two years ago, and has also won two Serie A titles and an Italian Cup, is being courted by Real Madrid. "Only Real are interested in me but I haven't spoken with anyone and I haven't signed anything. I promised I'd speak after the final," said the Portuguese coach, who has delivered Inter's first European title since 1965.
"When I win I don't stop and here [in Italy] I have won everything. I've won the Champions League with two clubs and I can do it with three," he said. "There are many things [in Italy] that I haven't liked and for three to four months I've been thinking of going."
He added: "I feel great sadness, in my professional life I try to be as cold as possible. I've entered into Inter's history, I don't want to speak much because if I do I'll cry and I don't want to do that. I want a different challenge in my career, now is the time to decide. What's important for Inter is that [president Massimo] Moratti and [captain Javier] Zanetti stay."
Mourinho's players, celebrating an historic treble of Serie A, Italian Cup and Champions League titles, are resigned to the coach leaving. "Unfortunately it's true," said Zanetti. "The coach is leaving. This victory is his."
Heading into the history books
Mourinho follows Ernst Happel and Ottmar Hitzfeld as a member of the select band of coaches to have won the Champions League with two different clubs.
Happel lifted his first European Cup with Feyenoord, 2-1 winners against Celtic in 1970, and claimed a second 13 years later when Hamburg overcame Juventus 1-0. Hitzfeld steered Borussia Dortmund to the 1997 title when they caused an upset in beating Juventus 3-1 before masterminding Bayern's 2001 defeat of Valencia, 5-4 on penalties after a 1-1 draw.
Both Happel, with Bruges against Liverpool in 1978, and Hitzfeld, thanks to Bayern's dramatic 1999 reverse against Manchester United in Barcelona, experienced setbacks in European Cup finals before their second triumphs.
Bayern coach Louis Van Gaal, whose Ajax team were downed by Juventus in 1996, is the seventh coach to lose two European Cup finals. Marcello Lippi, defeated with Juventus in 1997, 1998 and 2003, is the only coach to finish on the losing side in three finals.(fifa.com)
I feel great sadness, in my professional life I try to be as cold as possible. I've entered into Inter's history, I don't want to speak much because if I do I'll cry and I don't want to do that.
Mourinho on possibly leaving Inter
"When I win I don't stop and here [in Italy] I have won everything. I've won the Champions League with two clubs and I can do it with three," he said. "There are many things [in Italy] that I haven't liked and for three to four months I've been thinking of going."
He added: "I feel great sadness, in my professional life I try to be as cold as possible. I've entered into Inter's history, I don't want to speak much because if I do I'll cry and I don't want to do that. I want a different challenge in my career, now is the time to decide. What's important for Inter is that [president Massimo] Moratti and [captain Javier] Zanetti stay."
Mourinho's players, celebrating an historic treble of Serie A, Italian Cup and Champions League titles, are resigned to the coach leaving. "Unfortunately it's true," said Zanetti. "The coach is leaving. This victory is his."
Heading into the history books
Mourinho follows Ernst Happel and Ottmar Hitzfeld as a member of the select band of coaches to have won the Champions League with two different clubs.
Happel lifted his first European Cup with Feyenoord, 2-1 winners against Celtic in 1970, and claimed a second 13 years later when Hamburg overcame Juventus 1-0. Hitzfeld steered Borussia Dortmund to the 1997 title when they caused an upset in beating Juventus 3-1 before masterminding Bayern's 2001 defeat of Valencia, 5-4 on penalties after a 1-1 draw.
Both Happel, with Bruges against Liverpool in 1978, and Hitzfeld, thanks to Bayern's dramatic 1999 reverse against Manchester United in Barcelona, experienced setbacks in European Cup finals before their second triumphs.
Bayern coach Louis Van Gaal, whose Ajax team were downed by Juventus in 1996, is the seventh coach to lose two European Cup finals. Marcello Lippi, defeated with Juventus in 1997, 1998 and 2003, is the only coach to finish on the losing side in three finals.(fifa.com)
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