José Mourinho has officially left Turkish giants Fenerbahce, just two days after their Champions League exit at the hands of Benfica.
The 62-year-old Portuguese manager joined Fenerbahce in the summer of 2024, six months after being dismissed by Roma, and led the team to a runner-up finish in the previous season.
During his tenure, Mourinho did not secure any trophies, with the club eliminated in the Turkish Cup quarter-finals and knocked out by Rangers in the Europa League round of 16 last season.
Fenerbahce’s Champions League hopes ended on Wednesday following a 1-0 defeat to Benfica in the second leg of the play-off, after a 0-0 draw in Istanbul the previous week. Former Galatasaray star Kerem Akturkoglu scored the decisive first-half goal, sending Fenerbahce to another season in the Europa League.
Before the match, Fenerbahce vice-president Hamdi Akin had confidently claimed the team would “easily” defeat Benfica. Mourinho, however, dismissed the comment, saying: “Believe it or not, but I don’t know who he is. I don’t know this person, nor his influence, let alone his importance in the structure of the club. No one has ever introduced me.”
Mourinho’s exit marks the end of a brief, trophy-less stint with the Istanbul side.
