Fiorentina manager Paulo Sousa has thanked Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho for opening the door for him to coach in Serie A.
Sousa celebrated a 2-0 win over AC Milan on his debut as coach of Fiorentina this weekend and insisted that he would not be where he is now if it were not for his fellow countryman's achievements.
"I'm grateful to Mourinho because he's a great example," the Portuguese told Mediaset television. "He's won everything and he opened the door for us Portuguese [coaches]. I always want to improve myself and I always try to take the best from others to improve what I've already got."
Mourinho won a historic Treble with Inter Milan and Sousa feels that without that success, he might still be coaching at a smaller club, in a minor league, himself.
Instead, Fiorentina lured him from Swiss champions FC Basel in the summer and the former QPR, Swansea, Leicester City, Videoton and Maccabi Tel Aviv boss enjoyed his first taste of top-flight Italian football.
"Long may it continue," he added. "We've made a great start. This was an important game for us and getting three points, combined with a great performance, makes things even better.
"We can still get better. I'm still getting to know my players and refining an understanding with them."
Sousa also admitted that he was tempted to send on forward Giuseppe Rossi late in the game, with the result already sealed, but said he does not want to rush him back into action too soon.
Rossi has recently recovered from the knee injury which forced him to miss the whole of last season, but the Italian is now likely to make his first appearance of the season at Torino next weekend.
"Pepito's in really good shape and I did want to send him on," Sousa said. "He's a crucial player for us and I hope he will be ready to play consistently very soon."