Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has revealed that his wife, Matilde, was responsible for his decision to turn down the role of England head coach in December 2007.
Mourinho, who is in his second spell at Stamford Bridge, claims that he was considering an approach by the Football Association to succeed the sacked Steve McClaren, only for his wife’s reservations to deter him.
“It was the right decision. My wife was right. She told me not to take it,” Mourinho told reporters in London.
“We are not speaking about the job today. We are talking about seven years ago, and I cannot wait two years for a big competition.
“I cannot be spending two years playing against Kazakhstan and San Marino,” added Mourinho, who had left Chelsea by mutual consent in September 2007.
The FA ultimately appointed Italian Fabio Capello, who remained in the role until 2012, while Mourinho went on to join Inter Milan.
Mourinho, who also revealed that the terms of his severance deal with Chelsea prevented him from joining another English club, said that his former players had encouraged him to take up the role.
“(Frank) Lampard, (John) Terry, (Ashley) Cole, everybody was saying: ‘Come, come, come, everybody from other clubs wants you to do it,’” the 51-year-old said.
‘The guys from Manchester United and Liverpool call us and say to us: ‘Tell your boss to come, they want you to take it.’’
“I had lots of positive things to push me, and that’s why I was so close. But my wife was right.
“It was not the job for me seven years ago, it’s not the job for me now, and I don’t think it will be the job for me in seven years’ time. Maybe in 15 years from now, but not seven.”
Asked how close he had come to becoming England manager, Mourinho held an imaginary pen six inches above an imaginary contract and replied: “This close.”
It is now 48 years since England last won a major tournament – the 1966 World Cup – and Mourinho claims that a national inability to unanimously rally behind the team may be a factor.
“In every country I know, especially my own country – and Portugal is a small country – people live football in a very emotional way,” said Mourinho, who is working as an analyst for Yahoo! during the World Cup.
“Normally, the press is critical until the moment the team is selected because until that time everybody has an opinion. You prefer (Jordan) Henderson, (Steven) Gerrard or Lampard. It’s the same in every country.
“The moment the team is chosen and the competition is next door, in one week, everybody is together. No more critics. Everyone is to support. Even if you don’t agree because, for a month, the team is a team.
“I’m not so sure with the mentality in this country (England), people are ready to go in this direction.”
Ahead of England’s opening World Cup game against Italy on Saturday, striker Wayne Rooney’s form has become the subject of intense scrutiny.
Rooney’s former Manchester United team-mate Paul Scholes has suggested that the 28-year-old may already be past his peak and there have even been calls for him to be dropped, but Mourinho remains a fan.
“I prefer to say that Wayne is right when he says this is his World Cup,” said the Portuguese, who twice tried to sign Rooney last year.
“He’s not a kid anymore and he’s not an old player at the end of his career. He is in the best age.
“He also has a role as leader in the team, a little bit similar to the role he had at United this season.
“I think he is ready to cope with this pressure. Maybe the fact that the season was not good in the club can also play a positive role. I have faith in him that he can do it.”
Follow us on Twitter @SprtNationalUAE
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
NEW%20UTILITY%20POLICY%3A%20WHAT%20DOES%20IT%20REGULATE%3F
%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Agreements%20on%20energy%20and%20water%20supply%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Applied%20service%20fees%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Customer%20data%20and%20information%20privacy%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Prohibition%20of%20service%20disconnections%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Customer%20complaint%20process%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Management%20of%20debts%20and%20customers%20in%20default%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Services%20provided%20to%20people%20of%20determination%20and%20home%20care%20customers%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Also on December 7 to 9, the third edition of the Gulf Car Festival (www.gulfcarfestival.com) will take over Dubai Festival City Mall, a new venue for the event. Last year's festival brought together about 900 cars worth more than Dh300 million from across the Emirates and wider Gulf region – and that first figure is set to swell by several hundred this time around, with between 1,000 and 1,200 cars expected. The first day is themed around American muscle; the second centres on supercars, exotics, European cars and classics; and the final day will major in JDM (Japanese domestic market) cars, tuned vehicles and trucks. Individuals and car clubs can register their vehicles, although the festival isn’t all static displays, with stunt drifting, a rev battle, car pulls and a burnout competition.
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Sting & Shaggy
44/876
(Interscope)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
The Bio
Amal likes watching Japanese animation movies and Manga - her favourite is The Ancient Magus Bride
She is the eldest of 11 children, and has four brothers and six sisters.
Her dream is to meet with all of her friends online from around the world who supported her work throughout the years
Her favourite meal is pizza and stuffed vine leaves
She ams to improve her English and learn Japanese, which many animated programmes originate in
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
