José Mourinho has revealed that he had agreed to become Manchester United manager after Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013, before making an emotional U turn and choosing to return to Chelsea.
The revelation is contained in a new three part Netflix documentary chronicling the Portuguese manager’s extraordinary career and some of its most dramatic behind the scenes moments.
Mourinho said he had already committed to succeeding Ferguson at Old Trafford after leaving Real Madrid.
“When I left Real Madrid, I signed to go to Manchester United after Sir Alex,” Mourinho revealed in the documentary.
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Ferguson, who retired at the end of the 2012/13 season after guiding United to another Premier League title, also confirmed that Mourinho had initially accepted the offer.
“As far as I was concerned, he was accepting. And then, within hours, it changed,” Ferguson said.
According to the former United manager, Mourinho later called him and broke the news in an emotional conversation.
“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,’” Ferguson recalled.
Mourinho had been expected to leave Real Madrid at the end of the 2012/13 season and was one of the leading candidates to succeed Ferguson.
Instead, United appointed David Moyes, who had been recommended by Ferguson and left Everton to take charge at Old Trafford.
Mourinho returned to Chelsea for a second spell and went on to win the Premier League title in the 2014/15 season.
Reflecting on the decision, Mourinho said the Manchester United job had an “incredible appeal” and admitted that losing the opportunity to succeed Ferguson was “dramatic”.
However, he said his emotional attachment to Chelsea ultimately influenced his decision.
“One thing is love for football, another thing is love for a certain club,” Mourinho said. “I think this is more powerful than love for football and fundamentally, after Real Madrid, I needed to feel that I’m loved.”
“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.”
The revelation offers a remarkable alternative history for Manchester United, who entered a turbulent period following Ferguson’s departure.
Moyes lasted only 10 months and United finished seventh in the Premier League, their lowest position in the competition at the time since the 1990/91 season.
The club subsequently went through a succession of managers and struggled to reproduce the dominance of the Ferguson era.
Mourinho eventually arrived at Old Trafford in 2016 after Louis van Gaal’s departure.
He won the Europa League and League Cup during his first season and guided United to a second place Premier League finish in 2017/18, their highest league position since Ferguson’s retirement.
But Mourinho was dismissed in December 2018 after a difficult start to the campaign.
The Netflix documentary also provides fresh insight into other controversial episodes of Mourinho’s career, including his strained relationship with Real Madrid captain Iker Casillas, his rivalry with Pep Guardiola and his disagreements with former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich.
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Mourinho, now 63, remains one of football’s most decorated managers, having won eight league titles and two Champions League trophies during a managerial career spanning more than two decades.
His latest revelation, however, has revived one of Manchester United’s biggest “what if” questions: what might have happened if Mourinho had kept his word to Ferguson and taken over at Old Trafford in 2013?
