Jose Mourinho rules out one major nation winning Euro 2024 and says they 'don't have enough talent'
Euro 2024 finally gets underway this weekend and Jose Mourinho has made a bold prediction ahead of the start of the tournament.
Hosts Germany take on Scotland in the opening game of the Euros on Friday night at Bayern Munich's Allianz Arena.
Heading into the tournament, England are favourites as they look to end a 58-year wait for a major trophy.
France, Germany and Portugal are amongst the other top nations that many expect to reach the later stages of the tournament and potentially lift the trophy.
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Italy enter the competition as reigning champions, hoping to defend the trophy which they claimed in 2020, after defeating England in a penalty shootout at Wembley.
However, Mourinho isn’t impressed by the Italian team, which has changed significantly since the last European Championships.
Speaking to RTP Sport, the Portuguese manager said: "I am convinced that practically everyone thinks like me.
"Portugal, England, France, followed by Germany and Spain. But Italy as European champions? I don't believe that.
"Why can't Italy defend their European title? 'I don't think they have enough talent to win the tournament, they won the last European Championship, but I don't think they'll do it again."
With key players such as Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci no longer a part of the team, Italy struggled to qualify for this year’s competition, narrowly finishing second in group C, behind England, after a 0-0 draw with Ukraine.
And, having failed to qualify for the 2022 Qatar World Cup, having lost 1-0 in the play-off semi-finals to North Macedonia, Mourinho is not confident that the champions will make it far this summer.
Instead, the newly appointed Fenerbahce manager believes his home country will be the champions of Europe.
He added: “I don't want to be disrespectful to previous generations, but in terms of the depth and quality of the squad, we are probably the best team we have ever had and Portugal can win the European Championship.”
If Portugal live up to Mourinho’s expectations and lift the trophy this summer, it will be the second time they have done so in the past three Euros tournaments.
Victory in the final would also make long-serving Portuguese players Pepe and Cristiano Ronaldo the two oldest players to ever win the Euros.
Topics: Cristiano Ronaldo, Euro 2024, Italy, Jose Mourinho, Football
Ben McCrum