'The Special One' says Arrivederci to the Giallorossi

Jose Mourinho said goodbye to Roma on Tuesday, after the Serie A club sacked the "Special One" midway through what has been a deeply disappointing third season in the Italian capital.

In a short message, Mourinho simply said "Arrivederci, Roma" to supporters on social media, alongside an image of him holding the Europa Conference League trophy he and the club won in 2022.

Roma said that Mourinho would leave alongside his staff "with immediate effect", adding that it was "in the best interests of the club" after a series of poor results left the team way off the pace in the Italian top flight.

Mourinho's contract was due to expire in June and, although he had repeatedly stated that he wanted to stay on, talks about an extension to his deal never materialized.

Rumors of his departure grew more persistent after Sunday's dismal 3-1 defeat at AC Milan which left Roma ninth in Serie A, five points away from the Champions League positions.

The 60-year-old Portuguese was a shock appointment in 2021, Roma's announcement of his arrival as the replacement to Paulo Fonseca coming almost completely out of the blue. He immediately became a huge fan favorite, with his image popping up on walls around Rome, as supporters dreamed of an end to a trophy drought which stretched back to 2008.

In his first season he guided Roma to the inaugural Conference League, a triumph which brought Mourinho to tears on the pitch and made him an almost God-like figure to one of Europe's most passionate and success-starved fan bases.

He then came to within a penalty shootout of winning back-to-back European finals, Roma falling at the final hurdle against Sevilla in last season's Europa League.

That was a defeat which enraged both Mourinho and supporters. Referee Anthony Taylor was later attacked at Budapest's Ferenc Liszt airport by supporters angry at the decisions that supposedly cost Roma the trophy.

AFP