José Mourinho left Inter Milan at the end of the 2009-2010 season to join Real Madrid, and the president of the Italian club, Massimo Moratti, remembered that moment with the same calm that always characterized him. In an interview with the newspaper *As*, Moratti explained that, despite pressure from Florentino Pérez, the relationship with the coach was “exceptional and healthy”, and that Mourinho's decision to leave was simply the result of his desire to live a new adventure with the white club.
Moratti, who managed Inter during the years when the team won Serie A and the Champions League, described Mourinho as a figure of “great personality and determination.” According to the former boss, the Portuguese's obstinacy for victory is something that has not changed, although modern football requires greater adaptation to new ideas and technologies. “Football has changed, it is more complicated, but Mourinho remains the same,” he said, underlining that his ability to manage teams and generate a winning spirit is one of the reasons why he continues to be so valued.
The president of Inter also reflected on the evolution of the players today. “Today's footballers do not have the same sense of belonging as before,” he commented. “The commitment to a club is more fragile, which makes the management of a team more complex.” In this context, Moratti highlighted that Mourinho is one of the coaches best prepared to lead a group, as he knows how to motivate and turn his players into a winning team.
Although Inter and Real Madrid are clubs with historical rivalries, Moratti revealed that the relationship between the two was always “pleasant and without problems.” “Today we see them at Real Madrid and we continue to respect what they did at Inter,” he concluded. The 81-year-old Inter president ended his interview with the certainty that Mourinho remains the best coach he has had in the club's history, and that his legacy in the two years he was there remains the highest of his career at the Italian club.