Rui Patricio: It's a dream for any player to work for Mourinho

Rui Patricio is Roma’s new No. 1.

The Portugal international goalkeeper – a key member of their Euro 2016-winning side – completed his move to the Giallorossi on Tuesday evening, becoming the club’s first signing of the summer.

He also becomes the first signing of José Mourinho’s reign; the 33-year-old admitting that the prospect of working with his world-famous compatriot was one of the key elements that persuaded him to make the move.

In his first interview as a Roma player, Patricio thanked his old club, Wolverhampton Wanderers, for the three-year spell he enjoyed there, before laying out his plans for this new chapter in his career.

Here’s what he had to say!

First of all, Rui, welcome to AS Roma! How does it feel?

“It's a great feeling. I'm delighted to be here. It's a chance for me to develop, learn and improve and to come to a club where I can compete for silverware.

"I'm delighted, I feel confident - and I want to work hard and do my best to help the team.”

What was your reaction when you first heard of the club’s interest – and why was this the deal you were so eager to complete?

“Obviously I was really pleased when I heard Roma were interested. I was desperate to come here because I definitely wanted a new challenge. I had three great years at Wolves, where I was very happy, and I can only thank them because they gave me the chance to play in the Premier League.

“I'll never forget Wolverhampton because it's a family club and I love that - but Roma coming in represented a chance to fight for trophies and to join a big club, so I'm really excited.

"I want to do my best, help the team and help the club to win things.”

You’ve played in Portugal, you’ve played in England – now you are heading to Italy. What do you expect from Serie A?

“As I've said, this is a great league and I now have the opportunity to play in Serie A against some great teams and great players. There are several teams fighting for the title, so it's going to be exciting to have lots of teams competing for the same objective.

“It's also a huge opportunity to play in another league and experience what Serie A is all about. I've played in the Portuguese league, in the Premier League and now I have the chance to play in Serie A, which is a big draw for me and for all players.”

What are your personal targets for this new chapter in your career?

“My main objective is to continue working the way I have done so far. I want to continue to improve, to help the team and to fight to help us achieve our objectives, so to win silverware.

“My objective is to give everything, to give 100% in training and to learn and improve, because that's the only way to progress - not just in football, but in life too.

"So I want to continue to develop, learn, work hard and win trophies. That's why I'm here – because I dream of winning things.”

You will be working with your compatriot, José Mourinho. How much did his presence influence your decision?

“I'm delighted to have the chance to work with Mourinho. This is the first time I've worked with him, but he's certainly one of the best in the world. It's a dream for any player to work with him and to be coached by him.

“That was definitely one of the other draws for me, as well as coming to a big club to win silverware and focus on competing for trophies. Working with Mourinho is definitely a huge plus in terms of developing, working hard and improving, so it's exciting.”

You must also have spoken to Tiago Pinto, the club’s General Manager. What did he tell you about Roma and the plans here?

“Tiago Pinto explained the project to me. As I've said, it was very interesting. I wanted to come somewhere where the plan was to win trophies. I want to work hard to win things and dream of winning silverware.

“There was the fact of coming to a big club, as I've already said because I already knew that Roma is a huge club but this is also a project with the opportunity to win trophies.”

It’s a unique role within the team, that of the goalkeeper. How important do you think experience – something which you have a lot of – is, both for you personally and for the position in general?

“Obviously things change so much over the years in terms of how we feel during games, our form and what we do during training. We can and must always improve in training and during games.

“In the past I had a certain way of thinking and approaching games and that's different now, and I think that is where I've developed the most both personally and professionally, is when things get tough. It's in those tougher moments, in football and in life, that you really grow. That's how I've built up my experience, my style on the pitch and the strategies I adopt during the different phases of the game.

“There are definitely things I've learned over the years when it comes to specific situations in games, but I know that every year or every month or even every day, I can learn something new. That's life – you have to try to learn and improve all the time.”

You’ve just finished playing at the European Championship: a great tournament, one made even better by the return of fans to the stadiums. How enjoyable was that for you – and has it made you even more excited to play in front of the Roma fans soon?

“We play for the fans. They give us so much motivation so we play for them. Playing in front of fans at the stadium again is our greatest wish.

"We want to play for them and we hope it can happen from the start of the season, because football without fans isn't the same.”

Your transfer has been rumoured for some time now – have you noticed the Roma fans getting excited about your arrival, on social media and since landing in the city?

“I don't look at social media much, to be completely honest, but when I arrived in Italy I felt that enthusiasm from the fans immediately, so it felt good to feel that love.

“That's another motivation for me to give my all and help the team, which is ultimately what counts most of all.”