Conte says he respects Mourinho as old rival returns to Serie A

Inter Milan coach Antonio Conte welcomed old rival Jose Mourinho back to Serie A after the Portuguese was appointed by AS Roma.

Published on: May 5, 2021, 18:39:24 IST

Reuters

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Inter Milan coach Antonio Conte welcomed old rival Jose Mourinho back to Serie A after the Portuguese was appointed by AS Roma, but warned that he will not be so friendly when their teams meet on the pitch.

Jose Mourinho (left) and Antonio Conte (Twitter)

Conte led Inter to their first Serie A title in 11 years on Sunday with four games to spare, before Mourinho was surprisingly announced as Roma's new coach from next season two days later.

There is a long-standing history of animosity between the pair, who exchanged barbs in the Premier League while Conte was in charge of Chelsea and Mourinho was at Manchester United from 2016 to 2018.

"This is great news, I wish him all the best – apart from when he plays against Inter," Conte told Italia 1.

"There is respect between us. But when you are in competition, the Latin saying applies: 'mors tua vita mea' (your death, my life)."

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