José Mourinho’s return to Rome has begun before a ball is kicked. More than 100 Roma supporters gathered at Fiumicino Airport on Tuesday evening to greet their former coach as he arrived with Real Madrid ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League meeting at the Olimpico.
Mourinho remains a figure of considerable affection among the Giallorossi public after leading the club to the Europa Conference League and taking them close to a Europa League triumph. His reception at the airport offered an early indication of the tribute expected from the stands when Real Madrid face Roma in the second round of the Champions League league phase.
The match is scheduled for Wednesday, 14 October, with kick-off at 21:00. For Roma, it brings one of European football’s most decorated sides to the capital; for Mourinho, it is a return to a club and a city where his time on the bench left a lasting connection.
Warm welcome at Fiumicino
Real Madrid landed at Terminal 5 at 17:30, with Mourinho immediately recognised and loudly cheered by the waiting crowd. Supporters sought photographs and signatures from the Portuguese coach before the players made their way towards the club’s transport.
Kylian Mbappé, Thibaut Courtois, Jude Bellingham and Vinicius were among the Madrid players who stopped for supporters, particularly the many children gathered close to the team bus. Antonio Rüdiger, described as a former Roma player, was also among those welcomed by the crowd.
Madrid’s light-blue team coach, carrying imagery of the club’s trophy record along its sides, was waiting outside the airport. Mourinho and the squad departed from Fiumicino aboard the bus, while staff and other club personnel left in vans, minibuses and three further coaches.
An Olimpico reunion awaits
The airport scenes were only the first part of Mourinho’s return. The larger moment will come at the Olimpico, where Roma supporters are set to acknowledge a coach who delivered European silverware and restored a sense of occasion to the club’s continental nights.
Wednesday’s fixture will therefore carry the usual weight of a Champions League contest, but also the personal thread of Mourinho’s Roman past as Real Madrid begin their stay in the Italian capital.
