Mourinho ends Porto reign in style

Chelsea may have suffered Champions League heartbreak earlier this month but at least they look to be getting the European Cup-winning manager as a hugely valuable consolation prize.

Jose Mourinho was a strange mixture of jubilation and regret after guiding Porto to the pinnacle of European football with a 3-0 win over Monaco as he confirmed afterwards that this chapter in his astonishingly short coaching career has come to an end.

Mourinho will not yet nail his colours to Chelsea’s mast, but his admission that he is heading for the English Premiership next season and that the club he “gave his word to” is his likely destination leaves little room for uncertainty.

Mourinho said: “The country where I want to work next is England, and I haven’t changed my mind about that.

“The club I gave my word to I would be favourite to go – I don’t change my mind.

“I cannot speak about Chelsea because I really don’t know, but I know that my agent has a few things in his pocket, and he has showed what’s in his pocket to the Porto board and what the choices are.”

He has also had suitors from Italy knocking at his door, and Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon was present at the final saying he was “preparing for the future” and no doubt keeping a watchful eye on the man who would be king of the Kings Road.

Mourinho still feels passionately about Porto, the club he turned from an under-performing side into one which has won two league titles, the Portuguese Cup, the UEFA Cup and now the Champions League, and wants to part on good terms.

He added: “I still have a contract for two years but I would like to leave Porto, I am being completely frank and I want to talk to my chairman, to my board. I am going to open up to my chairman to try and sort out my professional career.

“It’s almost for sure my last match, we made history but I have to keep working and trying to get success in my next step. This is the best way to finish my career with Porto – in two and half years we have won everything.

“Yes, England is the country I would like to go to, though I have a few contacts with other countries, especially Italy. I will be almost for sure going to England.”

The decisive moment in the match was the opening goal from Carlos Alberto, after which Monaco were always chasing the game. With gaps opening up, Porto pounced as Deco and substitute Dmitri Alenichev secured the victory with breakaway goals.

Mourinho, who celebrated with his wife and children on the pitch of the Schalke Arena after the final whistle, added: “This moment is so sweet, it is fantastic for me and the players and the club and I just want to concentrate on that for some time before I make a decision on my future.”

Monaco coach Didier Deschamps is also expected to seek pastures new next season, with Juventus the likely destination, but he too refused to specify his plans.

He said: “Right now I don’t feel like talking about that, it’s not the time to talk about it. It’s a huge disappointment and it will take a few days for me to really analyse things and decide what will happen.

“Losing is a big disappointment. The final is something magnificent and to lose it is terrible.”

Deschamps claimed the game turned after Monaco’s captain Ludovic Giuly limped off with a groin injury that puts him in doubt for France’s Euro 2004 campaign.

“I don’t think we deserved to lose 3-0 – I am not questioning Porto’s superiority but when Giuly was injured, well to lose a man after everything he has done this season is something very difficult to deal with,” said Deschamps.

“I don’t know whether he can participate in the European Championships, which would be bad because he deserves to.”