Mourinho: 'I was already dead' at Roma after Budapest final

📰 José Mourinho has lifted the lid on his Roma exit, setting the scene for his return to the Olimpico as Real Madrid coach on 14 October. 📌 Key points 🎙️ Mourinho says his Roma spell effectively ended on the day of the 2023 Budapest final. 💀 He came back from holiday "already dead"; the formal sacking came that January. ✈️ He says the airport incident after the final was not his responsibility. 🏠 He still calls Roma "home" and says he would happily greet the owners. 🏟️ Real Madrid visit Roma in the Champions League league phase on 14 October. 📝 What happened 🎙️ Speaking to Corriere dello Sport, Mourinho looked back on his time in Rome. Officially he was in charge from 2021 to 2024, but he says it really ended at the Europa League final in May 2023, which Roma lost to Sevilla on penalties in Budapest. 💀 He said he was as good as sacked on the day of the final and was "already dead" by the time he returned from holiday, claiming the club approached that final differently from him. The formal dismissal came in January 2024. ✈️ The day after the final, Roma fans confronted referee Anthony Taylor at Budapest airport. Mourinho admitted insulting the referee in the car park and said he rightly paid for that, but argued UEFA wrongly held him responsible for what happened at the airport. 🏠 He said his three years at Roma felt like thirty and called the club "home". He has never criticised the owners publicly and would greet them without any problem. At the Olimpico he expects no chants or banners, only respect, and noted it will be his first visit to Rome without Roma's support. 📊 By the numbers • In charge of Roma: 2021–2024 (three seasons) • 2022 Conference League winners, 2023 Europa League runners-up • Real's Champions League opener: 2-1 win over Inter • Roma v Real Madrid: 14 October, Stadio Olimpico 👀 What to watch 🏟️ The Olimpico's welcome — The coach who delivered the Conference League returns in the opposition dugout. Applause or boos is the question before a ball is kicked. 🔥 Gasperini's Roma — Roma are joint top of Serie A. Back in the Champions League after seven years, they now face Real Madrid. 🛡️ Real's thin defence — Mourinho has ruled Militão out of the Villarreal, Roma and Sevilla games, leaving Madrid short at centre-back for the trip. 🔭 Why it matters It is rare for Mourinho to go into such detail on how a job ended, and his words could shape the mood inside the Olimpico on 14 October. Madrid face Villarreal on 10 October, Roma away on 14 October and El Clásico on 25 October.