SUMMARY
- Mourinho was appointed at AS Roma in May 2021.
- In July 2021, he was spotted around AS Roma's base on a Vespa.
Jose Mourinho’s reign in AS Roma may have ended, but the Italian fans will always have fond memories of the Portuguese manager. During the last two years, the club had some memorable moments with the Special One on and off the field. One of the funniest moments came in the pre-season of 2021/22 when Mourinho was spotted before the training on a Vespa.
AS Roma’s appointment marked a return to Serie A for Jose Mourinho after 11 years. Mourinho was appointed in May 2021 and in July 2021, the Portuguese manager showed signs of settling down in Rome after riding the scooter of the legendary Italian brand. Mourinho was caught in a video riding around club’s Fulvio Bernardini base before the start of the season.
Jose Mourinho attracts attention riding on a Vespa scooter around Roma’s training base https://t.co/5fimeP6OaE pic.twitter.com/kHLKObIbcM
— myaccaclub (@myaccaclub) July 7, 2021
The inspiration to ride in a Vespa comes from the Italian fans themselves, who painted a mural of Jose Mourinho with the legendary scooter brand. The mural was completed in May 2021 a few weeks after Mourinho’s appointment at the Italian club.
Jose Mourinho has a mural in Italy on a Vespa
The Italian manager was welcomed by AS Roma fans with open arms. A Roman street artist named, Harry Greb, dedicated a mural for Mourinho. In the mural, the Portuguese manager can be seen riding a Vespa scooter. On his shoulders, Mourinho can be seen wearing a scarf in Roma colors. The Vespa also had AS Roma’s logo on the right side, alongside Mourinho’s moniker of Special One.
Jose Mourinho, si anak vespa di Roma. Lukisan mural kece.
🎨: IG/harrygrebdesign pic.twitter.com/ZikWgxQQSI
— PanditFootball.com (@panditfootball) May 7, 2021
The mural can be seen on the corner of Via Giovanni Branco and Via Pietro Querini in the Testaccio quarter. It is a historic place that has a strong connection with AS Roma fans. The mural was shared by the street artist on his Instagram which even got a like from the former Inter Milan manager. The mural was the inspiration for Jose Mourinho to ride the scooter to Roma’s training base.
Lazio fans defaced Jose Mourinho’s mural in 2021
The mural gained so much traction from Italian fans that it became an easy target for AS Roma’s rivals. Lazio is the biggest rival of AS Roma, and their fans took their chance to deface the beloved mural when Maurizio Sarri was appointed as their new manager in June 2021.
Kiedy Roma ogłosiła, że ich szkoleniowcem w przyszłym sezonie zostanie Jose Mourinho, powstał mural z wizerunkiem Portugalczyka jadącego na Vespa Piaggio – słynnym włoskim skuterze.
Wczoraj do głosu doszli kibice Lazio, którzy przekształcili ten piękny malunek. pic.twitter.com/tbBkjZGPjo— Futbolowa Rebelia (@FutbolRebelia) June 10, 2021
A Lazio fan defaced the mural by adding Sarri’s face beside Jose Mourinho. Sarri can be seen smoking in the mural with all the smoke from his cigarette blowing over Jose Mouorinho’s face. Fans later added number ’71’ below Vespa’s name on the scooter. The number signifies Senad Lulic’s famous winner in the Coppa Italia final between these two eternal rivals in 2013.