Jose Mourinho has been given a hero's welcome to Istanbul as he was officially unveiled as Fenerbahce's new manager on Sunday afternoon.
The ‘Special One' has signed a two-year deal with the Turkish giants and was presented to the Fenerbahce fans at the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium after signing the contract.
While Fenerbahce fans have a reputation for being incredibly passionate, nobody could have predicted the turnout on Sunday to welcome their new manager.
The fans packed inside the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium, which has a capacity of 50,530, just to get a glimpse of their new leader.
The stadium is crazy!😳 pic.twitter.com/lozziRUbLE
— IM🇵🇹 (@Iconic_Mourinho) June 2, 2024
The fans let off flares and smoke bombs and chanted throughout the ceremony before Mourinho told took to the microphone to address his new supporters. The 61-year-old said:
“I want to thank you for your love. Normally a coach is loved after victories. In this case I feel that I am loved before the victories. That for me is a big responsibility that I feel.
“I promise you from this moment, I belong to your family. This shirt is my skin. Football is passion, and there is no better place [than here] to feel that passion. Since the moment I met the president, I wanted to play for you because you are the soul of the football club. I want to be the coach of all of you.”
More than 250,000 Fenerbahce fans watch Mourinho's unveiling
The thousands of fans inside the club's stadium on Sunday weren't the only ones desperate to see the Portuguese boss unveiled as Fenerbahce boss.
On the live stream that was published by the club, 250,000 fans tuned in to see Mourinho in his new home.
José Mourinho went to the Fenerbahce stadium to introduce himself for 15 minutes and this is how the stadium looked.
Next season is going to be fun.pic.twitter.com/5f4QlWcQ8e
— IM🇵🇹 (@Iconic_Mourinho) June 2, 2024
The charismatic manager was on top form for the unveiling and waved a Fernerbahce above his head at one point to gee up the crowd further.
He then posed for pictures with some of the fans around the stadium before being guided out of the stadium by security.
Work for Mourinho at his new club will begin sooner than most people might expect. The club will need to win three qualifying rounds to reach the league stage of the Champions League.
They will enter the competition in the second qualifying round on the 22nd of July which means Mourinho has just over six weeks until he manages his first competitive Fenerbahce match.