Lincoln recalls his time with Jorge Jesus and José Mourinho

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Gazeta Esportiva.com

·20 January 2026

Lincoln recalls his time with Jorge Jesus and José Mourinho

The midfielder Lincoln, a player for Alverca, spoke in an interview with Fanatik about his relationship with Jorge Jesus and José Mourinho, two Portuguese coaches who crossed paths with him during the two seasons he was at Fenerbahçe.

The Brazilian revealed that the decision to join the Turkish club in 2022 came after a direct call with Jorge Jesus.

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“I was directly contacted by Jorge Jesus. It was a pleasure to work with him, and I am happy with the decision to join Fenerbahçe. Jorge Jesus is the best coach I have ever worked with. He taught me to see football differently. He is a man of character and always speaks directly to the players. He is connected to football 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It's no coincidence that he wins championships wherever he goes. I wish him all the success in the world,” he said.

Changes in the club after Jesus's departure

After Jorge Jesus left the club to take over Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia, two coaches, the Turk Ismail Kartal and the Portuguese José Mourinho, passed through Fenerbahçe. The 27-year-old forward did not mince words about the two successors.

“I didn't have much communication with Ismail Kartal and José Mourinho. After Jorge Jesus's departure, I think there was a huge explosion of egos. Both Ismail Kartal and José Mourinho wanted to sign players they trusted, and in the end, they didn't keep any players from the Jorge Jesus era. They didn't want me, nor Willian Arão, João Pedro, or Luan Peres,” he revealed.

During this period, Lincoln was loaned to Bragantino and the English club Hull City.

Criticism of Mourinho

The player, trained at Grêmio, recalled the incident he considered a “lack of character” from Mourinho.

“José Mourinho surprised me. I talked to him before going to Hull City, and he said he wanted to see me in the pre-season in Portugal. I finished the season at Hull City and was waiting to be called for the pre-season in Portugal. I called the translator to talk to Mourinho, but he didn't want to talk to me,” he recounted.

“He told me that I should tell everything I wanted to the sporting director. The team was in Portugal, and I was at home, also in Portugal, but even so, he wanted me to go to Istanbul to train separately with Miha Zajc. He didn't keep his word. A coach who has won many championships, no one can deny that… What I can say is that he showed a lack of character with me. In life, character is more important than championships, especially for me,” he added.