Budapest (& Taylor) broke Mourinho; Only Roma fans can explain our love for Jose

COMMENT: The Mourinho era is over at Roma. And it ended ahead of the terms of his contract (until June 30, 2024). The announcement came as a bolt out of the blue, but that he would not remain in the capital even after the summer was clear to everyone by then.

The dismissal surprised more by the timing and manner than by the situation that had arisen, negative by now both from the point of view of results and the mood in the locker room. For some time the wind had been changing, he was no longer the emperor everyone knew, in the last conferences he appeared disengaged, down in the dumps, almost resigned. And he was almost unrecognizable, because Mourinho has never been just a coach, he has always been something more, he has always been a real hero for the fans of the teams he coaches. The idol, the hero, the mountain in the shadow of which to shelter in times of trouble, the brave captain to whom to rely on for a long voyage on the open sea.

José Mourinho was, is and probably will forever be one of the faces of world soccer, which is also why his dismissal is always something of a shock. On May 4, 2021, he had been chosen, called and brought to Rome by president Dan Friedkin, the same man who in recent weeks developed the decision to put an "end" to his experience in the capital, despite his continuous declarations of love for the team, the fans, and the environment: "I want to stay," "I am also willing to accept a different project," even he had said he was willing to work with young players, because he had "never seen fans like those at Roma". Words he had never uttered, words when said by Mourinho have a whole other effect. Friedkin, however, was not pitied or won over by the Special One's words. On the contrary, after