"I'm willing to fight to be in the Champions League" - Jose Mourinho makes confident claim on Fenerbahce challenge ahead of appointment
Jose Mourinho has said he's prepared to take on the challenge of guiding Fenerbahce to UEFA Champions League qualification. The Turkish Super Lig giants will soon appoint the iconic Portuguese coach.
The former Real Madrid and Manchester United manager has been out of management since January. He's been deciding his future after his AS Roma sacking.
Jose Mourinho is headed for Fenerbahce on a two-year deal with the option of a further year, per transfer expert Fabrizio Romano. He spoke to Sky Sports about the situation ahead of tonight's Champions League final between Madrid and Borussia Dortmund:
"I decided I want to go but its not done yet (his appointment). Hard (qualifying) because we have three rounds to go in qualification and in Fenerbahce's case eight players are in the Euros and they are not coming for pre-season before the first round. So hard. But if I go you know I like challenges so I'm willing to fight to be in the Champions League."
Jose Mourinho has won Europe's elite club competition twice during his illustrious managerial career. He guided underdogs FC Porto to glory in 2004 and led Inter Milan to the trophy in 2010 to complete a treble.
The Portuguese is the only coach to win all three of UEFA's competitions. He won the Europa League with Manchester United in 2017 and the Europa Conference League with Roma in 2022.
Jose Mourinho predicted Real Madrid to win the Champions League in February
Jose Mourinho used his footballing knowledge earlier this season to predict the winner of this year's Champions League. The iconic coach backed Real Madrid or Manchester City to prevail (via Rio Ferdinand's Vibe with FIVE podcast):
"Champions League, I would say City or Real Madrid. If somebody outside [those two] wins it, for me, it would be a great surprise.I would love Real Madrid to win it again for the club and for Carlo [Ancelotti]."
Madrid are one win away from winning their 15th European title. They face a Dortmund side at Wembley and are slight favorites.
Carlo Ancelotti's men knocked City out of the competition in the quarterfinals. They also prevailed against RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich in the knockout stages to make the final.
Mourinho never won Europe's elite club competition during his three-year reign at the Santiago Bernabeu. He was a massive hit though, guiding Los Blancos to the La Liga title, the Copa del Rey, and the Supercopa de Espana.