THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
MILAN, Italy — Jose Mourinho still doesn’t love Italian soccer but his relationship with Inter Milan and its supporters could hardly be better.
Mourinho’s passion for the club was evident when he stormed onto the pitch to celebrate Inter’s advancement into the Champions League final on Wednesday night, and it was reciprocated by some 5,000 fans who showed up at Malpensa airport early Thursday morning to welcome the squad home.
"I thought I had reached the height of emotion with Chelsea’s fans, but Inter’s supporters are even better," Mourinho said after his team eliminated defending champion Barcelona on aggregate despite a 1-0 loss at the Camp Nou. "I’m in love with Inter and these fans, not Italian football — I respect it, but I don’t love it."
The Portuguese coach has had a rocky relationship with media and rival teams in Italy, and he seemed to release some pent up frustration at the final whistle in Barcelona, when he ran out across the pitch with his arm in the air before stopping to point up at his team’s supporters.
"It’s nice to see him showing some joy," said Inter president Massimo Moratti. "He brought us here, now let’s see how he finishes it."
Inter will play Bayern Munich in the May 22 title game in Madrid, but Mourinho said the accomplishment of just leading the Italian team to its first European Cup final in 38 years has already surpassed winning the tournament with FC Porto.
"It’s the greatest moment of my career, better than my first league victory, better than the Champions League I won with Porto," said Mourinho, who also won two Premier League titles with Chelsea.
It is also the perfect response to the many critics he has had in Italy, despite leading Inter to the Serie A title last season.
After several heated exchanges with journalists, Mourinho no longer addresses the media except before and after European matches — in accordance with UEFA requirements.
Last year, he had an exchange of words with Catania director Pietro Lo Monaco and then Juventus coach Claudio Ranieri, and he was recently fined 40,000 Euros (C$53,224) and banned from sitting on the bench for three games after he made a handcuff gesture when two of his players were sent off during a Serie A match against Sampdoria.
He was sent to the stands during Inter’s match at Cagliari earlier this season and received a one-game ban.
However, he has certainly won over Moratti, whose main goal since taking over Inter in 1995 has been to deliver the club’s first European Cup title since back-to-back victories in 1964 and 1965, when his father Angelo was the president.
Moratti compared Mourinho to Inter’s coach in the 1960s — the Argentine Helenio Herrera.
"There’s 40 years between them but they’re very similar," Moratti said. "Both great workers, both very finicky but also professional. And they both show a lot of charisma toward the players.
"I’ve got to thank Mourinho because he reminds me of when I was young," Moratti added, recalling how he used to attend games at the San Siro with his father.
Mourinho guided FC Porto to the Champions League title in 2004, and only two coaches have won the European Cup with two different clubs: Ernst Happel with Feyenoord in 1970 and Hamburg in 1983, and Ottmar Hitzfeld with Borussia Dortmund in 1997 and Bayern Munich in 2001.
Either Mourinho or Bayern coach Louis van Gaal — who won with Ajax in 1995 — will become the third.
"He’s a top coach and Bayern’s a top club," Mourinho said about Van Gaal. "Bayern is an example to many clubs. Because the team didn’t start well, Louis was in a difficult situation but the club kept confidence in him and left him to work and he’s in the Champions League final."
Win or lose against Bayern, Mourinho is expecting more European exploits for Inter in the near future.
"This isn’t a team of kids that is going to have to wait another 15 years to reach the final," he said. "These players will be remembered as the heroes of Barcelona, even by their grandchildren."