‘This shirt is my skin’: Fenerbahçe appoints José Mourinho as new coach, fans give him rapturous reception
By Ben Morse, CNN
(CNN) — José Mourinho received a rapturous welcome from Fenerbahçe fans after being unveiled as the club’s new manager on Sunday.
The Portuguese coach signed his contract with the Yellow Canaries in front of a raucous crowd at the Şükrü Saracoğlu stadium sitting next to club president Ali Koç.
“I want to thank you for your love, the love that I felt from the first moment where my name was first connected with Fenerbahçe,” Mourinho said.
“Normally, a coach is loved after victories. In this case, I feel that I am loved before victories.
“That, for me, is a big responsibility that I feel. I promise you that, from this moment, I belong to your family. This shirt is my skin.”
Mourinho has been out of work since he was sacked by Italian side AS Roma in January. The 61-year-old is arguably one of the best coaches of his generation, having previously managed Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and Manchester United, among others.
He is a Champions League winner at Inter Milan and Porto, Europa League winner with United and Conference League winner with Roma.
“Football is passion and there is no better place to feel that passion. Since the moment I met with president Ali Koç, I wanted to play for you because, in the end, you are the soul of the football club,” Mourinho continued.
“Since the moment I met him and understood his ideas, his project, I wanted to play for you. I wanted to be the coach of all of you.
“I want to work for Turkish football, I want to work for the Turkish league. I want to help to improve [it], but the most important thing for me is not Turkish football, it’s not the Turkish league, it’s Fenerbahçe. To finish, I want to say that, from the moment I signed my contract, your dreams are now my dreams.”
Mourinho replaces İsmail Kartal as Fenerbahçe boss after the Turkish manager left the club at the end of last season.
The club finished second in the Turkish league last campaign, losing one game all season but finishing three points behind eventual champion and crosstown rival Galatasaray.
In a club statement, Koç described Mourinho as a “living legend” and said that the team’s aim next season is to win the Turkish league title.
Last season’s second-placed finish means Fenerbahçe goes into the second round of qualifying for next season’s Champions League, needing to win three games to navigate qualifying and book its spot in the competition’s newly revamped league phase.
The-CNN-Wire
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