The self-proclaimed Special One was looking to end Roma’s 14-year wait for a trophy and also make history as the first manager to win all of Uefa’s major European trophies, having already emerged victorious in the Champions League, Europa League and Uefa Cup.
Roma took a first-half lead when Nicolo Zaniolo chested down a long ball forward and cleverly poked the ball past goalkeeper Justin Bijlow.
The Italian side – who only finished sixth in Serie A – had to withstand some heavy pressure in the second half, particularly after the restart, but defended excellently to see out the win.
When the full-time whistle was blown, a visibly emotional Mourinho was mobbed by his coaching staff and players as he held five fingers up to the sky – representing his successes in European competitions.
The Portuguese coach has a perfect record in European finals, having overseen five wins in five finals with Porto, Inter, Manchester United and now Roma.
He also becomes only the second manager after the legendary Giovanni Trapattoni to win five major European titles.
Mourinho became particularly emotional after collecting his medal as he wandered around the pitch by himself, wiping away tears, and almost broke down when giving his post-match interview.
Fighting back the tears while speaking to Sky Sport Italia, he said: ‘There are so many things going through my head. So many things at the same time.
‘I’ve been at Roma for 11 months, I realised the moment I arrived what it meant, they were waiting for this. As I told the lads in the locker room in Turin, we did what we needed to do, qualify for the Europa League. We had great work all season.
‘This was not work tonight, this was history. We had to write history. We wrote it.’
He continued: ‘This remains in the history of Roma, but also mine. I was told only I, Sir Alex [Ferguson] and Giovanni Trapattoni won trophies in three different decades. It makes me feel a little old, but it’s nice for my career!
‘Now I will go on vacation and sit on the beach to think about all this for a while!
‘The great thing about my career is that, aside from the Europa League with Manchester United, doing it with Porto, Inter and Roma is very, very, very special. It’s one thing to win when everyone expects it, when you made the investments to win, but it’s quite another to win when something remains immortal, that feels truly special.
‘I think of myself, of course, but above all the Roma fans who can celebrate tonight, enjoy themselves and remember this night forever.’
MORE : Tammy Abraham speaks out on his Roma future amid Arsenal transfer links
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