MALTA, July 16, 2023 - One man that can probably be happy no matter what happens in the U19 UEFA Championship final tomorrow night, is Jose Mourinho. Whatever team wins, he can open a bottle of the finest wine and enjoy it with his closed ones. 

Mourinho, who is one of the most successful managers in the history of football, is from Portugal, he was born and raised there. But he’s also had some great moments in Italy, he won the Champions League with Inter in 2010 and is currently managing Roma where he won the Conference League last year.

IN BOCCA AL LUPO Tomorrow is the big day in the U19 tournament in Malta, the final day. The two nations fighting for the gold are Italy and Portugal. In the Italian team, there are three players from Roma, including captain Giacomo Faticanti. The 18-year-old midfielder got his first-team debut at Roma with Mourinho as coach and under his management, he’s developed a really strong winning mentality. 

Faticanti and his teammates will use Mourinho’s motivation and mentality to their advantage in trying to bring home the gold tomorrow. 

“We know he’s really attentive of us Roma players and he gives us motivation before every match. He’s watching us, and it gives us an important’s boost,” said before the big game against Portugal, a match that Mourinho will for sure have his eyes on.

He then added: I talked to him before leaving for the tournament and he told me: ‘In bocca al lupo’. He insisted that we keep having a winning mentality, which is the same that he has given us.”

In bocca al lupo is an Italian saying - which directly translates as “into the wolf's mouth” - used to wish a performer good luck before a performance. It is really a theatrical superstition as saying directly ‘good luck’ is considered bad luck.

20 YEARS There is a good feeling in the Italian playing squad for tomorrow’s final. The team has gone through a lot on the journey to this game. They almost went out in the first round of qualifiers in September last year; only making it through as the best team in third place in that group stage.

“There's been a good feeling in the camp throughout the whole tournament. We started very well against Malta, then not very well with Portugal, but we regained our strength against Spain,” Faticanti said and then added: “We've not won this competition since 2003, it's been 20 years. A lot of people are supporting us, so we'll do everything we can to win this game. It’s not every day that you get the chance to play in the final of a European Championship. The memories of spending time with the squad will stay with me for many years.”

WILL ITALY MAKE IT TO THE TOP? Italy and Portugal against each other in the group stages of this tournament. In that game, Italy scored the first goal but then went on to lose 5-1 after losing a player off the pitch with a red card in the first half.

“We know they are a tough team, we played them and we lost. The final is a different kind of match. We won’t change our identity. We will do our best,” Faticanti stated.

The Italian team has been climbing a mountain since September last year and along the way, there have been obstacles, but they have kept climbing. The only question now is if they can make it to the top.