In a candid and explosive revelation, former AS Roma General Manager Tiago Pinto has pulled back the curtain on what it was truly like to work alongside one of football's most iconic and divisive figures: Jose Mourinho.
Speaking on The Athletic's Daily Football Podcast, Pinto, the architect behind Roma's transfer strategy during Mourinho's tenure, described an experience far removed from the typical manager-director relationship. He painted a picture of a collaborative partnership built on intense, daily communication rather than a traditional hierarchical structure.
A Partnership Forged in Constant Dialogue
'The perception from the outside is that the coach and the sporting director have a conversation and then they don't talk to each other for a week,' Pinto explained. 'With Jose, it was completely different. We were talking 10, 15, 20 times every single day.'
This relentless exchange wasn't limited to transfer targets. Pinto detailed how their conversations spanned every minute aspect of the club, from overarching strategy to the finest details of the first-team squad, creating a unified front rarely seen in modern football.
The 'Special' Challenge of Managing Superstars
Pinto also shed light on the unique challenge of managing a squad containing a global superstar like Paulo Dybala under a manager of Mourinho's stature. He admitted that catering to the needs of such high-profile individuals, while simultaneously building a competitive team for the demanding coach, was his most complex task.
'The most difficult thing for me was to have a player like Paulo Dybala, with his characteristics, and a coach like Jose Mourinho, who wants a team with different characteristics,' Pinto confessed, highlighting the delicate balancing act of his former role.
A Mysterious and Cryptic Farewell
The most intriguing part of Pinto's disclosure centred on Mourinho's departure. The Portuguese executive revealed that after the club made the decision to part ways with the manager in January, he received a strange and unexpected message from Mourinho himself.
Rather than a message of anger or frustration, the text was profoundly cryptic. 'He sent me a message that, until today, I'm not sure if it was positive or negative for me,' Pinto revealed, leaving the contents of the message a tantalising mystery for fans and pundits alike.
Pinto's frank interview offers a rare glimpse into the intense, all-consuming world of a top football club led by a legendary manager, confirming that the reality of working with the 'Special One' is every bit as fascinating as the myth.
