Jose Mourinho officially presented as Fenerbahce manager in front of huge crowd
Throughout Sunday, Fenerbahce stormed social media with photos and videos of Mourinho making his way to Istanbul and immediately exploring the city across the Bosphorus and through the air.
"Hello everyone, I want to start by thanking you for all your love," Mourinho said during the presentation, which can be viewed in full here.
"The love I feel from the first moment my name was linked with Fenerbahce. Normally a coach is loved after victories. In this case, I feel loved before these victories. That is a great responsibility for me through which I feel, and for which I promise you, that I belong to this family, that this shirt is my skin."
"Since the moment I met president Ali Koc and understood his ideas and projects, I wanted to play for you, I want to be the coach of all of you... From the moment I signed my contract, your dreams are now my dreams," Mourinho added.
"I welcome our coach Mourinho on behalf of our fans. He is one of the best coaches of world football history. I'm sure he'll be the winner coach here, as he had been in other clubs in the past," club chairman Ali Koc said.
Mourinho signed his contract alongside chairman Ali Koc and in front of thousands of travelling supporters. 'The Special One' was welcomed with his own song, while a pitch-invader received a picture and big grin from Mourinho as thanks, as well as a lap of honour along the well-filled stands. The Portuguese also whipped up the crowd by waving the Fenerbahce jersey.
Historic losers
Fenerbahce finished second in the Süper Lig last season with an incredible 99 points, three less than champions Galatasaray. These 99 points would have given Fenerbahce the Super Lig record, were it not for the fact that their arch-rivals stayed one step ahead of them.
After the end of the season, Fenerbahce said goodbye to coach İsmail Kartal, who completed his third spell at the club after signing a one-year contract in June 2023. Mourinho had been without a club since January 2024 after his dismissal from AS Roma and was announced as Fenerbahce's new coach on Saturday night, during the Champions League final.