New Benfica manager Jose Mourinho has confessed that taking charge of Fenerbahce was a “mistake,” insisting the Turkish side was not on his “level.”
The 62-year-old, who was officially unveiled as Benfica’s new head coach on Thursday following Bruno Lage’s sacking, admitted that his short stint in Turkey did not match his pedigree as one of football’s elite managers.
Speaking to A Bola, Mourinho reflected:
“My career so far has been rich; I’ve coached the biggest clubs in the world, in different countries. I made the wrong choice… I made a mistake going to Fenerbahçe; it wasn’t my cultural level, it wasn’t my football level, it wasn’t my level.
“Obviously, I gave everything until the last day. Obviously, I had to mourn, like Bruno [Lage] is doing now, because nobody likes to leave, but coaching Benfica is returning to my level, and my level is coaching the biggest clubs in the world.”
Mourinho, who has previously managed Chelsea, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Inter Milan, and Roma, was dismissed by Fenerbahce last month after just over a year in charge.
His return to Benfica, where he began his top-flight managerial career in 2000, marks a full-circle moment as he looks to restore the Portuguese giants’ dominance domestically and in Europe.
