José Mourinho was poised to take over from Sir Alex Ferguson as the manager of Manchester United in 2013, but ultimately chose to return to Chelsea, as revealed in a new Netflix documentary about the acclaimed Portuguese manager.
The three-part documentary series, titled “Mourinho,” is produced by Ventureland, the creators behind noted documentaries like “Beckham” and “FIFA Uncovered.” It chronicles Mourinho’s remarkable yet controversial career.
Set to premiere on Tuesday, the documentary comes just as Mourinho embarks on his second term as Real Madrid manager after his return this summer.
A key focus of the documentary is his first tenure at the Bernabéu, where he successfully challenged the dominance of Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona. However, by the end of his three years at the club, his relationships with several players deteriorated, culminating in a contentious rift with club captain Iker Casillas.
After finishing the season without silverware, Mourinho departed the club in the summer of 2013, revealing in the documentary his intent to join Manchester United.
“The goal of this project is to tell the truth. When I left Real Madrid, I had signed with Manchester United to succeed Sir Alex,” Mourinho stated.
Ferguson announced his retirement as Man United manager at the conclusion of the 2012-13 season, wrapping up an iconic 26-year career with the club.
“Mourinho was offered the job, yes. I had a conversation with him explaining the situation, and he seemed to accept. Then, just hours later, everything changed,” Ferguson recounted in the documentary.
Mourinho confessed to feeling flattered by the opportunity but ultimately rejoined Chelsea because he “needed to feel loved” following a challenging period at Madrid.
“He called me, visibly upset, saying, ‘I can’t do it; I gave my word to Chelsea and won’t go back on that,'” Ferguson recalled.
“I understood his reasoning, but I was disappointed.”
Reflecting on his choice to reject United, Mourinho said: “For me, missing the chance to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson was a dramatic event. However, I have no regrets as it was a decision made with my heart. As Nietzsche observed, when you do something out of love, you can’t go wrong. That’s just nature. I made my choice for love.
“I returned feeling like I was going home, but with significant responsibility because my past accomplishments are history, and I didn’t want to tarnish my legacy.”
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Mourinho played a pivotal role in ending Chelsea’s 50-year league-title drought during his initial spell by leading the club to the Premier League title in 2004, and he guided them to another championship the following year.
In his second term at Chelsea, he again clinched the league title in the 2014-15 season. After a poor start to the 2016-17 campaign, he was dismissed by owner Roman Abramovich for a second time.
Mourinho went on to manage Manchester United starting in 2016, where he secured the Europa League and League Cup during his 2½-year tenure at Old Trafford.