Jose Mourinho has been hailed for "embracing the values" of Roma and the Italian capital after being tasked with restoring the Giallorossi as a major player both domestically and in Europe.
Tiago Pinto, the club's general manager, has opened up on the significance of securing the appointment of his fellow Portuguese last year. In his first full season with the club, Mourinho guided Roma to the inaugural Europa Conference League title – the club's only major European honour and their first of any kind since their Inter-Cities Fairs Cup success in 1961.
Mourinho's status and track record of success is legendary, but having had mixed successes in recent spells in charge of Manchester United and Tottenham, his appointment at Roma has seen him truly connect with the club's fanbase who offer him their comprehensive backing despite an underwhelming domestic campaign last time out.
The boss was immortalized after the European success with a mural depicting him as a Roman emperor, holding the trophy aloft in an iconic image. Mourinho broke down in tears upon the final whistle of the final victory over Feyenoord and in the club's stunning victory parade later that week – the boss could be seen joining in the legions of fans chanting across the streets of the Italian capital.
His appointment in Rome came as somewhat of a surprise, less than two months after his departure from Spurs. Yet Pinto was keen on securing the decorated boss and rekindling his desire to add to his enviable trophy cabinet.
Pinto, one of European football's most accomplished operators, joined Roma as general manager in October 2020 having previously been the director of football at Portuguese giants Benfica, a post that he had held for three years, having spent almost a decade in the sports management department at the Lisbon club.
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Benfica won titles across the board under his guidance and he was credited with establishing a culture based on results-driven performance at the club. He also helped oversee one of Europe's most self-sufficient leading clubs, producing talents such as Renato Sanches, Joao Felix and Ruben Dias through their youth system before cashing in for huge profits.
Roma's capture of Pinto was seen as a coup, with club chairman Dan Friedkin describing the Portuguese as "a world-class talent". Within a year of his appointment, Pinto helped convince Mourinho to join him at the club and European success was secured in his debut campaign.
Pinto explained, speaking exclusively to Mirror Football: "It was a big achievement for the club to convince Mourinho to accept Roma's offer.
"Again, we worked hard – the ownership and myself - trying to persuade him that this was the right project for him. Besides the results, the Conference League we won, the progress made by the players, it is a great pride for us to see that he is a Romanista today."
Pinto continued: "He fully embraced the values of the club and the city and he is the best ambassador of AS Roma in the world today. When a coach reaches that level of empathy with the city and the fans, it means you did a good job."
This season, Roma are hopeful of breaking into the league's top four to return to the Champions League – where they came to within one game of the final five seasons ago. They are on course to progress through to the knockout stages of the Europa League – a competition the boss has won at both Porto and Manchester United. Don't rule out another European triumph, and more jubilant scenes across the Italian capital, Mourinho's adopted home.
