Jose Mourinho says it “hurt” when he was fired from Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur but he has no regrets in his time there.
The now Roma manager was in charge of Spurs from 2019 to 2021 and was replaced by Nuno Espirito Santo the following season.
Mourinho has opened up about being fired and says while there are no hard feelings, it was a “strange thing to happen” just days before Spurs played Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final.
“Yes it hurt,” he told Sky Sports. “I react in a funny way when I speak with some English journalists at press conferences. I always say the joke about qualifying for the [Conference League] Final, I hope not to be sacked this time, because it’s something that doesn’t happen to too many coaches.
“This time I cannot say I’m the privileged one, because it happened to me. I don’t have regrets. I don’t have bad feelings. There are lots of nice people in Tottenham and I wish them the best. Even to Mr Levy.
“But for a guy with my career and my history I think it was a strange thing to happen. But in the end it opened the door for me to be in Rome and I’m very happy to be in Rome.”
Mourinho has led Roma to the Europa Conference League final where they will face Feyenoord on 25 May. The manager was visibly emotional when they secured their final spot and he has spoken on why.
“This is a giant club without the trophy room in relation to the social dimension of the club,” he said. “So, this is not a trophy, it’s only the final but it means a lot for them.
“Of course I have had bigger moments than this, but I am not feeling for myself, I am feeling for the people and my players. This for us, is our Champions League.”
