Jose Mourinho has received a special honour after a road in his native Portugal has been named after him.
The United manager attended a ceremony in his hometown of Setubal, on Tuesday, for the grand unveiling, as the local authority renamed the former Rua da Saude road on the seafront as ‘Avenida Jose Mourinho’ in recognition of his achievements in football.
Afterwards, Mourinho spoke of his immense pride and the love he has for the town on the Portuguese coast. “If you ask me, if I’m grateful, excited and proud, yes of course I am. I say yes to everything,” he told reporters.
“But I still want to come to Setubal and be who I am. I come to Setubal because I love Setubal. I have my mother and I feel closer to my father. I come to Setubal because my children have never lived here and love Setubal as much or more than I do.”
The boss added: “Setubal remains the only city where I feel like myself, where I feel [like] Ze Mario [his Portuguese nickname], where I walk on the street and people treat me like I like to be treated.”
He was joined at the ceremony by his mother Maria Julia Santos and Setubal mayor Maria das Dores Meira, who was full of praise for the United boss.
She described him as a ‘son of Setubal, a man of the world, a global personality’ and ‘one of those Setubalenses who fill us with pride because he is really special, has a special talent, has special love for their land’.
The mayor added: “Here, on Jose Mourinho Avenue, it is Setubal that lives and affirms itself. This is a tribute of a city and a county that want to perpetuate this special name [Mourinho] which today is one of the best-known arteries of the city.”
Setubal announced their intention to name the road after Mourinho back in 2013, when the town marked his 50th birthday.