Jose Mourinho reveals which of his former clubs still feels like home
Jose Mourinho says Inter is his "home" but believes a return to San Siro is unlikely.
The Portuguese took charge of the Nerazzurri in 2008 and went on to win two Serie A titles, a Coppa Italia and the Champions League during his two seasons in charge.
Mourinho has also won trophies at Porto, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Manchester United during a glittering managerial career.
But he reserved special praise for the Italian giants, who have not won the league since his departure in 2010.
"Inter is my home and [Massimo] Moratti remains both my president and friend,” Mourinho told Tiki Taka.
“When I say he, I say family. It’s as if he was my family, and I feel his family in a special way: everyone here is really special. My job also consists of finding the empathy I had with Inter fans. I give my all. I join a club, I take the shirt, I wear it and I live with that shirt.
“I create empathy with fans and antipathy with opponents, but I believe this empathy is important for creating a bond and a special relationship with them. Afterwards, of course, when you win and trophies arrive, this empathy can be transformed into passion, which is what it was.
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Mourinho reflected on some of the highlights of his time at San Siro, which saw Inter make history.
And the 56-year-old has labelled the 1-0 loss to Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final second leg the "best defeat of my life" as Inter progressed 3-2 on aggregate.
“There were crucial matches in the race for the Scudetto, Coppa Italia and Champions League. The victory in Kyiv [a crucial 2-1 win over Dynamo Kyiv in the group stage], for example, was the start of everything.
“The mega defeat in Barcelona was the best defeat of my life. After practically two weeks between the finals of the Coppa Italia and Champions League, it almost looked like a movie with ‘the perfect end’ to a story that was fantastic for me.”
Mourinho has been out of work since leaving Manchester United last December.
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Greg Lea is a freelance football journalist who's filled in wherever FourFourTwo needs him since 2014. He became a Crystal Palace fan after watching a 1-0 loss to Port Vale in 1998, and once got on the scoresheet in a primary school game against Wilfried Zaha's Whitehorse Manor (an own goal in an 8-0 defeat).