Jose Mourinho has lifted the lid on his decision to turn down an offer to coach England before Fabio Capello's appointment in 2007.
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Mourinho turned down England jobFeared it was a role he 'wouldn't enjoy'Has also rejected PortugalGetty/GOALWHAT HAPPENED?
Mourinho solidified a standing among the world's best coaches after joining Chelsea from Porto in 2004, delivering back-to-back Premier League trophies at Stamford Bridge alongside a host of other honours. The Portuguese also endeared himself to English audiences with his charismatic personality, so much so that the FA presented him with a formal offer to coach the national team, before eventually giving the job to Italian tactician Capello.
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Capello failed to bring the best out of what many considered a 'Golden Generation' of English talent during his five years at the helm, with star midfield duo Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard among those to struggle under the weight of huge expectation. It has long been debated who was the better player between the two, along with Manchester United legend Paul Scholes, and when Rio Ferdinand posed the question to Mourinho on his FIVE YouTube channel, the 61-year-old dropped a huge bombshell.
"I could be their coach in the national team, also yours," Mourinho, Football.com global ambassador, began.
Ferdinand then said: "Imagine, if you was the coach, we'd have won something."
Mourinho then confirmed he wasn't joking, adding: "I had it there on the table. I said no because I had always [seen] the national team job as something I wouldn't enjoy. [It] was in 07-08, I think was when Mr Capello got the job. Scholes, Gerrard, Lampard, it was a very good generation."
Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE
That was not the only time Mourinho has rejected an international management approach, with the former Roma boss having also been targeted by his home nation Portugal last year. Mourinho's two-and-a-half year tenure at Stadio Olimpico ended in January as he was sacked after a disastrous run of results that left the Giallorossi down in ninth in the Serie A table, but he is still reeling from the decision after giving so much to the club.
Mourinho also reiterated the fact he snubbed a lucrative offer from Saudi Arabia to stay at Roma. "It hurt me more because I gave everything, I gave my heart," he said. "I also refused great working opportunities. The first one was very hard to refuse because it was Portugal. And Portugal with probably the best national team ever three years before a World Cup. Then I had a big one from Saudi, I didn't hide it at the time because it was really big. I am usually very controlled with my choices, but in this case I was not pragmatic. I gave everything [to Roma]."
Getty WHAT NEXT FOR MOURINHO?
Mourinho has now been sacked from his last four roles, but he rarely stays away from the touchline for long, and is still being linked with top clubs across Europe. A potential third spell at Chelsea has been mooted as an option, while he is said to believe he has "unfinished business" at Manchester United, but Bayern Munich appears to be the most realistic next destination at the moment amid huge question marks over Thomas Tuchel's future.
