Jose Mourinho has finally addressed long-standing speculation regarding his near-appointment as manager of Manchester United. In a new Netflix documentary series detailing his career, the 63-year-old coach confirmed that he had reached an agreement to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford in 2013.
Sir Alex Ferguson, who retired in 2013 after securing 13 Premier League titles during his 26-year tenure, corroborated the account. He noted that he had sat down with Mourinho to explain the situation and believed the appointment was finalized. However, the plan shifted within hours.
Mourinho explained that he felt unable to reject an offer to return to Chelsea, the club where he had previously won consecutive Premier League titles in 2005 and 2006. He recalled a difficult phone call with Ferguson, during which he was crying while explaining that he had already given his word to the London club and could not break that commitment. Ferguson admitted he understood the reasoning but remained disappointed by the outcome.
Despite his admiration for Manchester United, which he described as having an incredible appeal, Mourinho stated that his decision was driven by a need to feel loved after his tenure at Real Madrid. He emphasized that the choice was made with his heart, even though missing the opportunity to succeed Ferguson was dramatic.
Mourinho eventually returned to Stamford Bridge in 2013, where he secured a third Premier League title and a League Cup. He later took the Manchester United job in May 2016, succeeding Louis van Gaal. During his two-and-a-half-year stint at Old Trafford, he won the League Cup and the Europa League before his departure in December 2018.
The manager recently returned to Real Madrid for a second spell. His initial tenure at the Bernabeu, which began with significant success, ended in 2013 amid internal conflict. During his first two seasons, he helped challenge the dominance of Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona, winning La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the Spanish Super Cup. The 100 points his team earned in the 2011-12 season remains a league record.
However, tensions escalated during his third season, culminating in a 15-point deficit behind Barcelona. A central point of friction was his relationship with club captain Iker Casillas, who spent much of the 2012-13 season on the bench. Casillas, who made 725 appearances for the club, described their relationship as cold and noted that the situation eventually reached a breaking point.
Former Real Madrid midfielder Sami Khedira described the locker room atmosphere under Mourinho as a nightmare, noting that the rift with Casillas alienated other key players, including Cristiano Ronaldo and Sergio Ramos. Khedira emphasized that these players were crucial to the team’s internal harmony.
Mourinho remained unapologetic regarding his management style, characterizing his players at the time as spoiled. He cited specific instances where Casillas requested more holidays for national team players, asked for training sessions to be moved to avoid traffic, and requested to skip hotel stays on matchdays. Mourinho stated that he would never accept a lack of respect.
Casillas also revealed that he clashed with the manager over his treatment of international teammates who played for Barcelona. Mourinho defended his stance, asserting that the rivalry between the two clubs was akin to war and that he would not tolerate fraternization during that period.
Reflecting on his career, Mourinho also touched upon the complexities of his relationship with former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, who hired and fired him on two separate occasions.
Ultimately, Mourinho maintains that he does not regret his decision to prioritize his return to Chelsea over the Manchester United vacancy in 2013, framing it as a choice dictated by his personal values and emotional needs at the time.
After years of speculation, Jose Mourinho has confirmed that he agreed to replace Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United in 2013, before changing his mind and re-joining Chelsea instead.
“One night, he phoned me and he was crying and he says, ‘Alex, I can’t take it.
“The reason he gave to me, I could understand, but I was disappointed.”
“But one thing is love for football, another thing is love for a certain club,” he explained.
“I think this is more powerful than love for football and fundamentally, after Real Madrid, I needed to feel that I’m loved.
On the eve of his Real reunion, the combative manager and former Spain goalkeeper Casillas spoke candidly about the reasons behind those differences.
However, the wheels came off in Mourinho’s third season in the Spanish capital and he was dismissed at the end of 2012-13 with Real finishing 15 points behind rivals Barcelona.
The goalkeeper made 725 appearances across 25 years at Real, winning three Champions League titles and five La Liga crowns, but had spent much of the 2012-13 season on the bench.
“In those years, I really think it was taken to a limit where in the end, the rope broke.”
He benched him, doesn’t speak to him, spoke bad about him in the media, so then this locker room was a nightmare, honestly,” he said.
Mourinho claimed that the keeper had a bad attitude.
The third time he comes to speak with me was, ‘We don’t want to go to [the] hotel.
We prefer just to meet on matchday and go direct to the stadium to play’.
