Following winning two Premier League titles at Chelsea, Mourinho joined Inter in 2008, and despite spending just two years with the club, he remains a cult figure with the Nerazzurri fans.
In his final season at Inter, he won the historic treble of the league, the cup and the Champions League, but then immediately left to join Spanish giants Real Madrid.
He insisted that winning the treble with Inter still means a lot to him as he felt that the Nerazzurri were his family, and conceded that if he had returned to Italy to celebrate with the fans, he might not have left the club at all.
Mourinho insisted that leaving Inter was a hard call to make as he felt a genuine connection with the club and the players, but he could not have refused the Real Madrid job for the third time in his career.
The Portuguese told Italian daily Il Sole 24 Ore: “That feat still means a lot to me.
“Inter was my home, my family. Massimo Moratti was a friend and my president. The treble was fantastic and remains unforgettable.
“After the Madrid final, if I had returned to the San Siro to celebrate with the players and the fans, I would have never left Inter.
“Saying goodbye to a family remains a very difficult thing, and ten years later, we continue to be a family.
“This has been my strength on the pitch too, we were friends and we always will be.
“The night we won the cup the decision was already made: I couldn’t say no to Real Madrid for the third time.
“But I look back at Inter with great calm and pride.”
Mourinho has been linked with a move back to Inter for several years but he has so far resisted any chance of returning to Italy.
