Mourinho backs Portugal Ryder Cup bid
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José Mourinho is used to picking winning teams and that is exactly what the former Chelsea manager believes he has done now that he has agreed to become the Ambassador for Portugal’s bid to host the Ryder Cup in 2018.
“I always play to win and I know everyone connected to the 2018 Portuguese Ryder Cup bid is exactly the same,” said Mourinho, who first sprung to international prominence when he led Porto to victory in the 2004 UEFA Champions League.
Since then his international reputation has soared after successful spells at both Chelsea, where he led his team to two Premier League titles in 2005 and 2006, and Inter Milan, where in 2009-10 he achieved the first treble in Italian football history, winning the Serie A league title, the Coppa Italia and then becoming the third manager to win the UEFA Champions league with two different clubs.
The man known as “the Special One” is currently managing in Spain where his Real Madrid side is leading La Liga, ahead of bitter rivals Barcelona.
Mourinho does not play golf but he learned a good deal about the sport while managing in England and is well aware of what a successful Ryder Cup bid, centred around a purpose-built Tom Fazio golf course at the new €1 billion golf and leisure development at Herdade da Comporta, close to the village of Comporta on the idyllic Alentejo coast, would do for his country.
“Comporta is a region I have cherished and known since an early age, due to its proximity to my home town of Setúbal. It is one of Europe’s best-kept secrets, with its tranquil beaches and clear blue sea, with rice paddies as far as the eye can see and overwhelming natural beauty.
“Organising the Ryder Cup will allow Portugal to show its best to the world, something we should all work towards, to establish our country as a high-quality tourism destination” Mourinho said.
He added: “To always win and to take Portugal’s name to the four corners of the world that’s the challenge I set myself each day and that’s the goal Comporta is committed to. Win the bid to host the 2018 Ryder Cup.”
