Mourinho leaves bitter farewell note to Roma players after getting sacked

The 61-year-old coach lost his job at Roma last month after a poor run in the Serie A. According to Italian newspaper II Messaggero, Mourinho returned a ring that the players gifted him after Roma won the Europa Conference League in 2022. He left it in the locker of captain Lorenzo Pellegrini after getting sacked on Jan. 16.

The Daily Mail revealed that Mourinho also left a note which read: "When you are men, give it back to me," which expressed how he felt betrayed by the players, who performed poorly and were one of the reasons for his dismissal.

Roma peaked ninth when Mourinho exited Roma. But when club legend Daniele de Rossi took over, the team won three out of three matches and climbed to fifth.

Mourinho joined Roma in 2021 for a three-year deal. The 60-year-old manager helped Roma win the 2021-2022 European Conference League, their first-ever European title. The next season, Mourinho led Roma to the Europa League final, where they lost to Sevilla in penalties.

On the Daily Mail’s podcast last week, it revealed that Mourinho is keen on making a return to Manchester United, as sources close to the Portuguese manager said he feel like there is "unfinished business" after leaving the club in 2018.

Dubbed "The Special One" by media, Mourinho is one of the most decorated managers ever, and is considered to be among the greatest managers of all time. His biggest achievements are winning the 2003-2004 UEFA Champions League with Porto and the treble with Inter in the 2009-2010 season.