MOMENTS after winning the Champions League with Inter Milan, Jose Mourinho said he will probably leave the Italian champion.
Mourinho, tipped to join Real Madrid, told Italian state TV RAI on Saturday, “I want to become the only coach to win the Champions League with three different clubs. It’s more probable that I’ll go than stay.”
Mourinho also guided FC Porto to the Champions League title in 2004, joining Ernst Happel and Ottmar Hitzfeld as the only coaches to win the competition with two different clubs.
“This makes me feel really sad,” Mourinho said. “I’ve become part of Inter’s history and I don’t want to talk about anything else. If I talk about it I’ll cry and I don’t want to do that.”
Still, Mourinho again addressed his likely move to the Spanish capital.
“I want another challenge in my career and now it’s the moment to decide,” he said. “The important thing for Inter is that (club president Massimo) Moratti and (captain Javier) Zanetti stay.”
Mourinho was asked on German television channel SAT1. “Was this your last game for Inter?
“Yes,” he replied.
“Where are you going, are you going to Real?”
“Yes,” he said.
Mourinho was speaking in English and his interviewer was asking questions in German that were being simultaneously translated for the Inter coach.
He then told Italy’s Sky TV, “Only Real has expressed interest in me, but I haven’t spoken with anybody and I haven’t signed anything. I promised that I would talk after the final.
“I don’t stop when I win, and I’ve won everything here.”
Mourinho also told Sky that the decision was based on his dislike for Italian football.
“There are a lot of things I didn’t like,” he said. “I’ve been thinking about leaving for three or four months.”
Moratti said it will be sad to see Mourinho leave.
“Certainly, but I’ll remain indebted to him because he made us win so much and he gave us the confidence to win at the international level,” Moratti said.
“You can’t ask for too much now,” Moratti added. “We’ve won the cup and now let’s see what happens. Mourinho is someone who is unforgettable, someone who likes to travel the world to show that he wins.”
Zanetti was already looking beyond Mourinho.
“Unfortunately it’s true - the coach is leaving us. This victory is his,” Zanetti said. “Whoever is hired to coach this team will find a great group, capable of fighting on all fronts.”
Still, Moratti left a glimmer of hope that Mourinho might stay.
“I don’t think he has had more than a brief chat with anyone else, so I think there’s still a small chance,” the Inter president said.
AP/The STAR
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