The brutal 9-word note Jose Mourinho left after Roma sacking | OneFootball

Former Roma boss Jose Mourinho left a brutal nine-word note for the Giallorossi players in the wake of his unforeseen sacking last month. His final game in charge at the club was a 1-0 defeat to arch-rivals Lazio in the Coppa Italia and Daniele De Rossi, a former player for the club, was almost immediately given the reins.

The self-proclaimed ‘Special One’ may have led the Serie A outfit to back-to-back finals in Europe, but that was not deemed enough by the club’s higher-ups to award him a new contract at the Stadio Olimpico – and the swift appointment of his replacement added more fuel to the fire for the veteran coach.

At the time of the 61-year-old’s dismissal, AS Roma sat ninth in Serie A and were struggling to keep up with the division’s heavyweights such as Juventus, Inter Milan and AC Milan. Since De Rossi’s arrival, however, they have become much more formidable. Having won all his first four outings at the helm, the 40-year-old has Roma back in fifth spot in the table, with qualifying for Europe’s most prestigious competition, the Champions League, becoming a very real possibility.

Mourinho’s bitter message

He also returned a gift from the Roma players

It wasn’t always doom and gloom in the Italian capital during Mourinho’s stewardship. As mentioned, the club somewhat asserted their dominance in European football with them winning the Europa Conference League in 2022 against Feyenoord, marking the team's first trophy in 14 years and Mourinho's fifth European title.

As a recognition of his work as boss, the players gifted him a ring to commemorate their achievement. Mourinho even took it one step further and got a tattoo of the trophy alongside the Champions League and the Europa League to mark the significance of their success.

However, per Il Messaggero, the former Chelsea, Manchester United and Real Madrid custodian returned the ring upon his departure as boss. Leaving it in the locker of skipper Lorenzo Pelligrini at the Trigoria training complex, the seasoned Portuguese used his act to show his discontent, particularly with his players.

A new report has revealed that alongside the ring was a message to his former roster

Mourinho, who is still without a job in management since his sacking, felt as if his players contributed to his premature exit – and his actions were a symbol of his feeling of betrayal by the current Roma crop.

What next for Jose Mourinho

Host of clubs are interested

With ample pedigree at the top of the game, it shouldn’t be too much longer until Mourinho is back in the weird and wonderful world of football. And, of course, thanks to his long line of experience and silverware, many potential suitors admire his quality. Weeks after his sacking, Mourinho snubbed a mega-money move to the ever-growing riches of Saudi Arabia as Al-Shabab offered a quick route back to management with a lucrative package, though ESPN suggested that he is keen to remain in Europe, albeit only at the right club.

According to a report from MailOnline, one of his close friends believes that he could be eyeing a sensational move back to Manchester United, a club which he managed 144 times between 2016 and 2018. Alternatively, with Mauricio Pochettino struggling to get a tune out of his Chelsea players, returning to west London could also be on his agenda.

A return to England’s top flight would definitely send shock waves through the division with his latest stint at Tottenham Hotspur a forgettable one. That said, Sky Sportsa return to Stamford Bridge would be ‘big’ and that the Red Devils would not rival for his signature.