The last non-Turkish coach to win the Süper Lig was Zico, again with Fenerbahçe, in the 2006-2007 season
Mourinho went to Türkiye and signed a two-year contract with Fenerbahçe. Yet there is a historical fact that perhaps many don’t know about the Süper Lig.
Türkiye, Mourinho ready to change history with Fenerbahçe
—
In the last 17 years there has never been a foreign coach to have won the Turkish championship. The last to achieve this was the Brazilian Zico, again with Fenerbahçe, in the 2006-2007 season.
As Çetin Cem Yılmaz writes on Xin Turkey there is “a very difficult environment to work in, the media is usually very hostile to foreigners and if managers are not supported properly, they get eaten alive.”
Mourinho’s words at the presentation
—
“Ambition – this is how Mourinho began in the presentation press conference -. For me, Fenerbahçe is ambition. I have a house in London: is it ambition to coach a London club that aims to finish 8th or 9th? Everyone knows that I love the Italy: it’s an ambition to coach there, to work miracles to win in Europe but never be able to go beyond 5th-6th place. I could have stayed in Portugal, stayed at home and visited my mother every day: but is that an ambition? ? Ambition for me is playing to win, feeling the pressure of having to win every match if you want to be champion.
And this is the reality of Fenerbahçe: for me it means ambition and getting out of my comfort zone. If I could start tomorrow I would. The project they presented to me had an impact on me and now it’s my turn to have an impact on the project. There is only one way to stay patient: win. But stability must be in the leadership. I want the fans to be patient, even crazy, and I want the players to feel that pressure because if they can’t handle it maybe they shouldn’t play for Fenerbahçe.”
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
