TRY telling Jose Mourinho the Europa Conference League doesn’t mean anything.
The charismatic Roma boss burst into tears as his side beat Feyenood 1-0 to become the first-ever recipients of the Europe’s third-tier trophy.
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Nicolo Zaniolo’s 32nd minute strike was enough to see off their Dutch rivals in the inaugural final in Albania’s capital city of Tirana.
That meant the sobbing Mourinho collected winner’s medal No5 in continental competitions, as the Italian giants got their hands on their first piece of silverware for 14 years.
And it took him a matter of seconds to remind the world of his achievements.
As soon as the full-time whistle blew in Tirana, the Special One stormed onto the pitch holding five fingers aloft as his backroom staff surrounded him to celebrate.
For Mourinho, 59, this latest Euro triumph sent several records tumbling.
He is the first manager to win the new Uefa Treble, adding to the Champions League and Europa League.
Only Germany’s Udo Lattek and Italy’s Giovanni Trappatoni have managed to do the same with the original Uefa Treble of European Cup, Cup Winners’ Cup and UEFA Cup.
Jose’s fifth major trophy in Europe also sees him become the only coach to win a Euro title with four different clubs alongside Porto, Inter Milan and Manchester United.
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Ironically, the Portuguese legend’s last piece of silverware came with United in the 2017 Europa League final, but has finally added to a career haul that now stands at 26.
And to top it off, Jose has still never lost a major European final in 22 years of management.
As the Roma boss and the players paraded the trophy in the stands, jubilant supporters watching back home at the Stadio Olimpico ran on to the pitch to celebrate their team’s first-ever Uefa trophy.
And jubilant Mourinho praised his side for “rewriting history”.
The Portuguese boss said: “Many things are going through my head right now. I feel like a true Romanista.
“We have written history. This is a competition we believed we could win since the start.
“I have won European competitions with four different clubs.
“Winning with Manchester United was natural, but with Porto it was not normal, and today winning brings joy to the people. It has a special flavour to it.
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“I always have a horrible feeling about losing finals, but we won. I was 100 per cent sure this season would end in a special way.”
Jose was showered with champagne during his post-match press conference, and on rumours he may leave the club, he added: “I’m going to turn down any proposal.
“I will stay here at Roma even if there are rumours. We made history today. I have no doubts, I will continue as Roma manager.”
This final was a classic Mourinho slugfest, scoring with one of their few shots on target as Zaniolo pounced on Gianluca Mancini’s first half delivery.
Feyenoord hit the post twice but a drilled Roma defence – led by a resurgent Chris Smalling – frustrated the Dutch outfit.
Tammy Abraham spent most of the night isolated and chasing shadows, but he will not care one bit, returning to his new home city of Rome a European winner.
Having permanently joined from Chelsea in the summer, he added: “I said when I came here, I will help my team get to a final and then win it.
“It is my first season here and I have won a trophy. I am happy to be a part of it.”
And as the 24-year-old prepares to join up with Gareth Southgate’s England camp, not many of his countryman will be able to match that.
