Ex-Roma Foti Reflects on Giallorossi Tenure

Salvatore Foti said on May 23 that he would relive his Roma experience even though the end of it, after José Mourinho’s dismissal in January 2024, “was a big blow.” The former striker, who served as Mourinho’s assistant in Rome, spoke in an interview cited by TuttoASRoma and other Roma-focused outlets, with Corriere dello Sport named as the original source. Foti’s comments were centered on memory rather than a new role or club move. They revisited a period that took him from Mourinho’s call in late 2021 to the end of the coaching staff’s spell at Roma in early 2024. ### What exactly did Foti say about Roma? Foti said he would “rifarei tutto,” or do everything again, when asked about his time at Roma, according to TuttoASRoma’s account of the interview. The same report said he described the departure after Mourinho’s sacking as “una bella botta,” a phrase meaning a heavy blow. (tuttoasroma.it) ForzaRoma.info, also citing Corriere dello Sport, reported Foti called the Roma period “an experience that gets completely inside you.” That version of the interview framed his remarks as both affectionate and unresolved, with the emotional weight tied to how the spell ended rather than to the value he placed on it. (tuttoasroma.it) ### Why did the departure still weigh on him? January 2024 was the turning point Foti identified in the interview. TuttoASRoma quoted him as saying Mourinho’s dismissal, and with it the exit of the entire staff, hit everyone hard. (forzaroma.info) Foti linked that reaction to the previous season’s run to the Europa League final in Budapest and to Roma’s position in the Champions League race before injuries changed the team’s trajectory. In the TuttoASRoma excerpt, he mentioned injuries to Paulo Dybala and Chris Smalling as part of the backdrop to the second half of that campaign. (tuttoasroma.it) ### How close was Foti to Mourinho during that spell? Corriere dello Sport’s interview, as summarized by RomaNews in an earlier report, said Mourinho called Foti on Christmas Day in 2021 and asked him to join him. Foti described the moment in festive terms, underscoring how personally significant the invitation was. (tuttoasroma.it) That relationship continued beyond Roma. Roma-focused outlets reported in 2025 that Foti had followed Mourinho to Fenerbahce before later moving on, and ForzaRoma.info described him in its May 23 report as an assistant from Mourinho’s Roma years who was now out of work after a spell at Sampdoria. (romanews.eu) ### What did Roma represent in Foti’s career? Roma was one of the most visible stages of Foti’s coaching career. Gazzetta dello Sport’s coverage during Mourinho’s tenure identified him as Mourinho’s deputy on the Roma bench, including during European competition in 2023. (tuttoasroma.it) At 36, ForzaRoma.info said in a 2025 report that Foti had started considering a future as a head coach after roughly a decade as an assistant, including his years alongside Mourinho. That context helps explain why his remarks about Roma were framed around lasting professional and personal impact rather than around a single result. (gazzetta.it) ### Why did these comments surface now? May 23, 2026 was the publication date on TuttoASRoma’s article carrying Foti’s remarks, and the site listed Giulia Caruso as the author. The same day, ForzaRoma.info also published its version, both pointing back to Corriere dello Sport. (forzaroma.info) The immediate next reference point for readers is the original Corriere dello Sport interview cited by both Roma outlets. As of May 23, 2026, the comments stood as a retrospective from a former Roma assistant rather than an announcement tied to a new appointment or a return to the club. (tuttoasroma.it)