New Benfica manager José Mourinho has described his decision to join Turkish side Fenerbahce as a mistake, following his return to his boyhood club in Portugal. The 62-year-old, who was unveiled after replacing Bruno Lage, signed a two-year deal with the Lisbon giants after his short-lived spell in Turkey ended with a Champions League play-off defeat to Benfica last month.

Mourinho, a former Chelsea, Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Manchester United, and Tottenham boss, admitted that while he gave his all at Fenerbahce, the move was not a good fit. “I made the wrong choice, with no regrets. I made a mistake going to Fenerbahce; it wasn’t my cultural level, as far as football is concerned,” he told the club’s website.

The Portuguese tactician insisted that his return to Benfica represents a homecoming to the elite stage of football. “The ideal context for me is to return to coaching one of the biggest clubs in the world. Returning to Benfica is returning to my level, and my level is coaching the best clubs in the world,” Mourinho declared.