By Marta Elena Casanova
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There was a time when José Mourinho embodied success wherever he went: from Porto to Inter’s Treble, passing through Chelsea, Real Madrid, and finally Roma. But recent years have marked a steady decline, culminating in his latest dismissal. His departure from Fenerbahçe in August 2025 is perhaps the lowest point of this trajectory, where tactical frustrations, clashes with management, and a model that no longer holds all intersect.
From the “Special One” to the “Normal One”
The label Mourinho once gave himself — “I’m a Special One” — was not just bravado. It was the awareness of being something different: a mix of tactical preparation, aggressive communication, and applied psychology. It worked because it was authentic. His players followed him, his rivals feared him, and the fans adored him.
But football evolves faster than labels. In recent years, Mourinho has seemed stuck, clinging to ideas that made sense in a more physical, less fluid game, but which now struggle against the speed and technical quality of modern teams. The man who once anticipated trends has become the coach unable to update his footballing language.
The Roma illusion
His time at Roma had the flavor of an illusion. The “Special One” arrived at Trigoria hailed as a Messiah: a fanbase like Roma’s thrives on passion, symbols, and narratives, and Mourinho seemed to embody everything needed to dream big. The Conference League triumph in 2022, the club’s first-ever European trophy, was celebrated as the return of a winner.
But looking at the data, that was the only real highlight. In Serie A, Roma never made the leap in quality. Carisma alone doesn’t win titles: it takes planning, courage, and smart investments. The Europa League final lost to Sevilla in 2023 was the perfect snapshot of his moment: closer to defeat through controversy than to victory through merit.
The last act: the Turkish epilogue
On August 29, 2025, José Mourinho was sacked by Fenerbahçe after elimination in the Champions League group stage at the hands of Benfica — a result the club could not accept. The Turks had bet on him to reestablish themselves firmly in Europe’s elite, and failure was immediately punished.
The farewell statement was impeccably cold and concise: a formal thank you and the immediate start of talks for a replacement. The decision seemed the logical outcome of increasingly conflict-ridden management: on one side, inevitable rifts caused by his combative communication style; on the other, tensions over transfer policy and a domestic league where Galatasaray remained insurmountable.
According to the Turkish press, the exit cost around €15–20 million in severance pay — an enormous figure that shows how much his name still carried weight, even as results and relationships with the board eroded.
What strikes most is this: Mourinho no longer seems capable of building winning cycles. At Manchester United, he spoke of the “second place as the best achievement of my career.” At Tottenham, of a team “not ready to win.” Always an excuse, always context.
The Turkish chapter’s ending is emblematic of a crisis that goes beyond results: it is cultural. Football has changed — less obsessed with rigid defense and the “us against the world” rhetoric. Mourinho remains charismatic and provocative, but increasingly out of step with the new sporting language.
At its core, it is a clash of two eras: on one side, football built on media tension and tactical egos; on the other, football defined by freedom, creativity, collaboration, and coaches who build rather than destroy. His recent sackings tell that story: a figure who still ignites passion, but who is now expected to provide a project. And without a project, image alone is not enough.
Ultimately, Mourinho no longer wins because he no longer surprises. And when a manager stops surprising, he stops being special.
By Marta Elena Casanova
