José Mourinho has won a lot in his career, he has won everything (by now it can be said, literally), he has done extraordinary things, unpredictable and unexpected victories like those with Porto, historical victories such as the Triplete with Inter, he has won trophies that he had to win because that was the main objective, like those with Real Madrid (where winning is necessary, even if it's always difficult), he made Chelsea great, shaping them to his image and likeness to become one of the most important clubs in England, but José Mourinho's true masterpiece is undoubtedly the Conference League won with Roma. How is that possible, someone may ask, he has won two Champions League! The team of the Eternal City hadn't played a European final for 31 years, hadn't won a trophy for 14 years, but during the night of Tirana it was Lorenzo Pellegrini, a Roman from the Cinecittà district, who raised the cup to the sky.
The Roman midfielder, voted best player in the competition, managed to do what historical and extraordinary players had not been able to do: the great Agostino Di Bartolomei, unforgotten icon of Romanism, did not succeed, Giuseppe Giannini did not succeed, neither Francesco Totti nor Daniele De Rossi succeeded, but Lorenzo did. To understand the extent of this success, how much the Roma fans needed a trophy, just look at the parade of fans and players on May 26th. Between Circo Massimo and the Colosseum, hundreds of thousands of Roma fans went on the street in a party that lasted practically all day. The Giallorossi supporters followed the three Giallorossi buses (with the flag "Rome won"), on which were the players, the coaching staff and the club employees.
A yellow and red delirium, an ocean of people in complete mystical trance. On the night of Tirana the fans had followed the team en masse in Albania, at the stadium, outside the stadium, they even filled the Olympic Stadium in Rome (practically 50,000 people) to watch the game on the big screens. Mourinho understood how much Roma and the Roma fans needed love, his tears prove it, his reaction at the end of the match shows it. Roma is a team that has won little for its greatness, but it is a city and a team capable of giving an infinite, immortal love, like no other can.
If you give love to Rome, all the love in the world comes back and the street party proved it. As the photos accompanying this article show, the party was gigantic, of historical proportions: choirs for each individual player, for José Mourinho who stood up to greet almost assuming the features of the Pope. The fans with the shirt of Pellegrini, Abraham, Zaniolo, Smalling, none excluded, walking in the streets following step by step their favourites, who in the meantime signed kits and scarves, sang choruses with the microphone. An unforgettable party, a party whose memory will echo forever in the streets of Rome, for its proportion and the joy it gave off, as will the name of Mourinho.
The Special One has won 5 international trophies with 4 different teams. He has won with Porto, Inter, Manchester United and Roma, but the one with the Giallorossi is certainly his true masterpiece. Not only because by winning the Conference he became the first coach to win all the international trophies, not only because he won a trophy with a team with many limits and problems.
Last year Roma finished seventh/eighth on equal points with Sassuolo and starting the season with the first match in August, he had to play a lot of matches having on the bench players with no experience, or simply were not good enough, but he managed to win with them all. Apart from Rui Patricio and Tammy Abraham, the team was not stronger than the year before, but he did better. Truth is, only the Roma fans really know how difficult it has always been to win a trophy in Rome. The numbers prove it, as is the long wait to return to celebrate. Earlier this year and during the season I wrote two articles "Why Mourinho and Roma are a match made in heaven" and "Why Mourinho remains a beacon of hope for Rome", well, that's why.
If there was a man who could "unlock" Roma, bringing them back to win a trophy after 14 long and difficult years, it was José Mourinho, who immediately understood this city, immediately understood Roma fans and appreciated them. Not only that: at the end of the game the coach was clear "this must be just the beginning". The trophy that thrilled the city, which made over 150 thousand people parade on the street, is not a point of arrival, but it must be the starting point for the future, because for Roma, winning trophies must become the norm. And this is the real revolution: changing the way of thinking about the city, about the team. Over the years it has always been said "winning a Scudetto in Rome is like winning 10 elsewhere" and if on the one hand it is true, because historically Roma has been less rich, powerful and strong than the three northern teams, on the other it is necessary to get out of this dimension. The city of Rome must aim high. The victory of the Conference League has closed a circle: longtime Romanists, adults, burst into tears, erasing years of disappointments, erasing the finals lost against Liverpool and Inter.
Winning is always important and difficult, whether on the bench of Real Madrid or on that of a team less used to winning, but the certainty is that winning in Rome is something that few can manage. In particular, winning an international trophy in Rome is something that no one had ever managed before. And it cannot be a coincidence that Roma returned to winning in Mourinho's first year. In his very first year. On the day of his presentation he was asked: "Where do you see the Roma fans in three years?", "Celebrating" he replied. One year was enough. Just one year, to see the city submerged by Roma fans, filling all the streets of the capital from the night of May 25 to May 26. At the end of the match, as soon as Lorenzo Pellegrini raised the trophy to the sky, the fans went to the streets, filling the streets with smoke bombs, flags and Roma shirts: every neighborhood was colored with yellow and red. Something simply immortal, like the legacy of Mourinho, who after years of trophies and successes at the top, went to Rome and demonstrated why he is the Special One, because when you talk about him you always have to respect him and what he has done since his first year of coaching.
His tears moved the whole city, all the fans, and also showed what kind of man he is. Strong character, charismatic, he is not afraid of anything or anyone, but he is also sensitive and emotional: the joy of a city made him cry, made him understand how much this city needed nights like this, how much they needed him. Condemned to win anytime and anywhere in his career, Mourinho is always among the most criticised. Every little stumble his usual detractors come out, those who can't wait for him to make mistakes.
He had also been criticised for deciding to coach Roma, "because it's the proof that he's finished" they said. Instead, just the opposite. And the Colosseum surrounded by Roma fans, maddened by love for the team and its coach, are the best possible answer to those who had doubted the greatness of José Mourinho. Winning in Rome (so far, until his arrival...) has always been rare and difficult, nothing to do with winning a championship with Real Madrid or Juventus. The city has always supported him, has never stopped believing in him, and he has repaid this trust by delivering the team to history. José taught everyone a lesson, much more important than titles and trophies: it is not important to fall, it is not the end of the world, because there will always be another chance. And with trust, with the love of the people and the people around you, nothing is impossible. Grazie José. To the next success!
