Jose Mourinho signs contract to coach Inter Milan
Jose Mourinho signs contract to coach Inter Milan
Roberto Mancini was fired last week despite Inter winning a third straight league title.

Milan: Jose Mourinho joined Inter Milan as coach on Monday, ending his eight-month exile from management.

The Portuguese signed a three-year contract with the Serie A champion. It's his first job since leaving Chelsea last September.

Roberto Mancini was fired last week despite Inter winning a third straight league title.

"Thanking Roberto Mancini and his staff for the successes obtained in four seasons in charge of the team," Inter said on its website. "All of FC Internazionale welcomes Jose Mourinho and his coaches and wishes them the best of luck in their new jobs."

Rui Farias, Silvino and Andrei Villas Boas will work alongside the Italian-speaking Mourinho, who will be presented to the media on Tuesday at the club's training complex.

"He can win the Champions League with this team and I would like to be a part of it," said winger Luis Figo, who is out of contract at Inter and had a troubled relationship with Mancini.

Mourinho won the Champions League with FC Porto in 2004 after taking the UEFA Cup title in the previous season, also with Porto.

The self-styled "Special One" led Chelsea to its first league title in 50 years and then retained it.

He also won the FA Cup and two League Cups, but he failed in three seasons to win the Champions League, which saw his relationship with owner Roman Abramovich deteriorate.

"A history with lots of victories," Inter said on Monday of its new coach.

Mourinho, the son of former Portugal goalkeeper Felix Mourinho, was an unremarkable lower league player in Portugal, but he showed an aptitude for coaching and attained a degree in physical education.

He came to prominence at Sporting Lisbon and Porto as translator for former England coach Bobby Robson.

His tactical knowledge made him the perfect candidate to communicate the Englishman's instructions and he followed his boss to FC Barcelona in 1996.

Mourinho stayed at Barcelona when Robson left and worked under Louis van Gaal, who, like Mourinho later on, would attract the ire of purist fans for not providing the success or style expected of him.

He coached Barcelona's reserve team before a short spell at Benfica, which ended after just nine games. Mourinho walked out on the club after being denied a contract extension.

After a short spell at Uniao de Leiria, Mourinho joined Porto in early 2002.

Building a team comprising the likes of Brazilian-born playmaker Deco, Ricardo Carvalho, Jorge Costa and Nuno Valente, Mourinho then won the Portuguese title and UEFA Cup in his first full season.

The following year, Porto were even stronger. The club won their 20th league title, but it was in the Champions League where Mourinho got noticed.

His charge down the touchline to celebrate victory over Manchester United was treated with amusement and surprise, while the eventual 3-0 final win over another surprise qualifier, Monaco, sealed his reputation - and an eventual move to London.

At Chelsea, the outspoken Mourinho infuriated many with his brash style, but his colourful quotes made him popular with the English media.

He left last September after just a month of the season with Chelsea struggling in the Premier League and Champions League.

Mourinho was known for keeping a steady hand on his high-priced, highly talented stars, much like the highly-tense situation at Mancini's Inter.

Owner Massimo Moratti has spent millions on transfers, with Inter at times fielding 11 foreign players.

But the team has failed in the Champions League and seemed almost to implode toward the end of the latest Serie A season when AS Roma came back from 11 points down in February to keep up the title challenge until the final game.

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