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Mourinho on returning to Roma: emotion before and after, not during the match
·8 September 2026·18h ago

Mourinho on returning to Roma: emotion before and after, not during the match

Source: Forza Roma

José Mourinho has won his first Champions League League Phase fixture as Real Madrid manager, defeating Inter 2–1 at the Bernabéu. The result gives him three opening points in a competition that will pit him against his former club Roma at the Stadio Olimpico in roughly a month's time. Mourinho acknowledged the unique nature of the fixture in his post-match comments to Sky Sport: "It's the first time I'll return to Roma against Roma. It will be like today—the special feeling and the emotion. Before and after, but not during the match."

Mourinho has faced several of his former sides during his managerial career. "Last year I played Chelsea straight away, I always play against my ex-teams, but I cannot hide it," he said. The encounter carries particular weight given his recent tenure in Rome, though he framed the emotional dimension as something he compartmentalizes around competition rather than during it.

In his post-match press conference, Mourinho assessed the Italian football landscape. "Inter is a top side and by far the best in Italy," he stated. "I only see Roma with the legs to be able to stay close to them." On Real Madrid's decision to rehire him, he offered characteristic brevity: "The situation was difficult—when things are easy, that's not for me. When it's difficult, it helps to have José." The remark drew an implicit acknowledgment from Roma's perspective of his previous impact at the club.

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José Mourinho has won his first Champions League match as Real Madrid manager, defeating Inter 2–1 at the Bernabéu on September 8. The victory marks an early success in what Mourinho has described as a challenging period at the Spanish club. Speaking to Sky Sport after the match, Mourinho reflected on an upcoming reunion that will carry significant emotional weight: his return to face AS Roma at Stadio Olimpico, where he previously managed. "It's the first time I'll return to Roma against Roma. It will be like today—the special feeling and emotion. Before and after, but not during the match," he said, emphasizing his ability to compartmentalize emotions once play begins.

Mourinho acknowledged his pattern of facing former clubs, noting that he cannot avoid such fixtures. "Last season I faced Chelsea immediately, I always play against my former clubs, but I can't hide from it," he explained to the broadcaster. On his appointment at Real Madrid during a difficult period, Mourinho remarked: "The situation was tough, when it's easy it's not for me. When it's tough it helps to have José." Roma will be well aware of both his managerial success at the club and the intensity he brings when confronting his past.

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Testo Originale / Source Text

José Mourinho archivia con una vittoria il primo scontro romantico di questa sua Champions League sulla panchina del Real Madrid. L'Inter finisce ko al 'Bernabeu' per 2-1 e lo Special One conquista i primi tre punti della sua League Phase, che tra un mese la metterà di fronte alla 'sua' Roma,…

Read the full article in Italian at Forza Roma.

Read original on Forza Roma

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