After three years of idyll, the love story between Jose Mourinho and Roma came to an end with the announcement of the Portuguese coach's dismissal, a consequence of the Roman club's disastrous season. "We will always keep great memories of his management, but we consider that, in the name of the club's interest, an immediate change is necessary," indicated the American owners of Italian club AS Roma, Dan and Ryan Friedkin.
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Hours later, Roma announced former 'Giallorosso' captain Daniele De Rossi, winner of the 2006 World Cup with Italy, as the new coach, replacing Mourinho. De Rossi (40 years old), another idol of the Roman fans, has hardly any coaching experience, only the last four months of last season at SPAL, without being able to prevent the team's relegation to the third tier of Italian soccer (Serie C).
Mourinho, 60, arrived at the Roman dugout in July 2021 and his contract was due to expire on June 30, having shown a few days ago his desire to continue at the club from the Italian capital. But the elimination against Lazio in the Coppa Italia a week ago and, above all, the 3-1 defeat against Milan at the San Siro on Sunday in Serie A precipitated Mourinho's dismissal. In his first season in the Roman capital, Mourinho had already become the darling of the fans, who saw in the coach the right person to end a title drought that began in 2008.
Back to Barcelona?
The Portuguese's dismissal coincides with the bad moment in Barcelona's history, which is about to dismiss Xavi as coach. Social networks have begun to speculate about the possibility of Mourinho returning to Barcelona, where he was already an assistant coach. For that, Barcelona would have to offer him the 7 million that he earned in Rome, something that seems surprising because Xavi earns 3.8 million.
