After years of widespread speculation, Jose Mourinho has revealed that he formally agreed to take over as Manchester United manager following Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013.
The 63-year-old, currently back at Real Madrid for a second spell, made the admission in a new Netflix documentary series dedicated to his managerial career.
“When I left Real Madrid, I signed to go to Manchester United after Sir Alex,” Mourinho said in the documentary, confirming what had long been rumoured in football circles.
Ferguson, who won 13 Premier League titles across 26 years at Old Trafford, backed up Mourinho’s account, saying he had sat down with the Portuguese coach and believed they had reached an agreement.
“He was offered the job, yes,” Ferguson confirmed, adding: “I sat him down and explained the situation. As far as I was concerned, he was accepting. And then, within hours, it changed.”
What changed was Mourinho’s profound sense of loyalty to Chelsea, where he had won back-to-back Premier League titles in 2005 and 2006 during his first spell at Stamford Bridge.
Ferguson recalled a late-night phone call that ended any prospect of Mourinho joining United, saying: “One night, he phoned me and he was crying and he says, ‘Alex, I can’t take it. I’ve given my word to Chelsea and I’m not going to break my word’. The reason he gave to me, I could understand, but I was disappointed.”
Mourinho admitted the decision was deeply emotional, saying he was “very flattered” by the opportunity given that “Manchester United has an incredible appeal,” but ultimately felt that his connection to Chelsea was too strong to ignore.
“For me to lose the chance to be the coach to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson was dramatic, but I don’t regret it because it was a decision that I made with my heart,” he said.
Mourinho did eventually take charge at Old Trafford in May 2016, succeeding Louis van Gaal, and went on to win the League Cup and Europa League before being sacked in December 2018 following a poor run of results.
The documentary also revisits the infamous falling-out between Mourinho and Real Madrid’s legendary goalkeeper Iker Casillas, which fractured the dressing room during his first stint at the Bernabeu.
Former Real midfielder Sami Khedira described the fallout in stark terms, saying: “Iker is a Real Madrid legend, loved by every Real Madrid supporter. He benched him, doesn’t speak to him, spoke bad about him in the media, so then this locker room was a nightmare, honestly.”
Khedira added that the breakdown extended beyond Casillas, stating: “After that, the relationship between Jose and many, many players was broken – like Cristiano [Ronaldo] and the Spanish guys, Casillas, Sergio Ramos. And those players were super, super important for the atmosphere in the locker room.”
Casillas himself reflected on the period coldly, saying: “The relationship Jose and I had was very cold. In those years, I really think it was taken to a limit where in the end, the rope broke.”
The documentary also addresses Mourinho’s turbulent relationship with former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, who hired and sacked him twice, including the controversial signing of Andriy Shevchenko, which Mourinho revealed he never wanted to approve.
“Shevchenko was on the table because of connections with the boss, connections with agents and I never wanted to sign him, but I never told no one, so it’s also my responsibility. You want to know the player that I wanted? [Samuel] Eto’o,” he said.
Mourinho also recalled the satisfaction of beating Abramovich’s Chelsea 2-1 with Inter Milan in the 2010 Champions League, saying: “Honestly, I was playing against Roman that game. Football belongs to the players, belongs to the coaches, belongs to the fans. Football will always belong to us.”
