Mourinho extends Inter Milan deal

Few football managers can match the star quality of the players at their disposal - or their wages. But Jose Mourinho is different, and the former Chelsea boss has cemented his reputation as The Special One by signing a new deal with Italian club Inter Milan, reportedly worth £170,000 a week.
 
Mourinho's contract extension will keep him at San Siro until June 2012, and could earn him almost £9m a year. It makes him comfortably the highest paid coach in the world - and one of the most valuable men in football, earning as much as, if not more than, stars like Cristiano Ronaldo.
 
The flamboyant Portuguese coach won the Italian Serie A title in his first season in charge, but saw his team dumped out of the Champions League in the first knock-out round by his old adversary Sir Alex Ferguson's and his Manchester United team.
 
Despite that setback and a less-than-harmonious relationship with the Italian media and, as usual, rival coaches during his first season, Mourinho has elected to reject offers from the likes of Real Madrid to stay with Inter - albeit in a deal said to be worth £26.4m, which eclipses those of most of his playing staff.
 
For their part Inter say they are delighted to continue "the project started together a year ago", although a Champions League success is essential at some stage over the next few years.
 
Italian clubs are smarting over the Premier League's domination of Europe after another season in which three English and no Italian clubs made the semi finals of the Champions League.
 
But if any coach is able to buck that trend it is Mourinho. He shot to prominence when he guided unfancied Porto to the trophy in 2004, famously sprinting down the Old Trafford touchline to celebrate his team's late winner against United along the way.
 
He also had the beating of Ferguson when he was at Chelsea and despite becoming an idol to the Blues there is little doubt Mourinho would relish the chance to beat them or any of the other English clubs. After putting pen to paper on his new deal, fans of the nerazzurri will be expecting it. ·