Despite holding a notable reputation as the esteemed ‘Special One’, Jose Mourinho has not yet had the opportunity to manage his home country’s national team, Portugal. Intriguingly, it was recently divulged by the Portuguese manager himself that he did receive an invitation to coach Cristiano Ronaldo on the national team. However, this proposition came during his tenure at Manchester United, and he respectfully decided to decline.

The professional relationship between Jose Mourinho and Cristiano Ronaldo was most apparent from 2010 to 2013 when the 61-year-old took charge of Real Madrid. Regrettably, this partnership ended after this phase, during which they triumphantly secured three prestigious trophies.

Jose Mourinho reveals why he rejected the chance to coach Cristiano Ronaldo

Following his departure from Roma, Jose Mourinho had an insightful interview with soccer legend Rio Ferdinand. The conversation revolved around the legendary manager’s tenure at Manchester United. Then came an intriguing disclosure as he added: “I refused great working opportunities. The first one was even very, very hard to refuse because it was Portugal. Portugal, with probably the best national team ever, 3 years before the World Cup.” 

Further elaborating on this revelation, the ex-Roma coach said: “I could be their coach in the national team. Also yours, [pointing at Rio] I had it on the table.” Mourinho then shed light on why he bypassed an opportunity that would have allowed him to coach Cristiano Ronaldo. With unflinching sincerity, he admitted: “I didn’t because I gave everything. I have my heart. I gave even options that could be considered not very clever from the professional point of view.”

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The ex-Chelsea coach’s focus was solely on Manchester United at that time, which is why he passed on the opportunity to coach Portugal. However, this was not the only instance where Jose Mourinho turned down an offer from Portugal. He also did so while he was in charge of AS Roma.

Mourinho refused Portugal again after World Cup 2022 exit

Following the unfortunate exit of Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal from World Cup 2022, it became imperative to seek out a new team manager. Amongst numerous contenders emerged one eminent prospect — ‘The Special One’. In an earlier interview, Jose Mourinho expressed, “I told my agent: don’t speak to anyone as long as I’m AS Roma manager.”

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He also hinted that communication about offers received from the Portugal NT and Saudi clubs directly flowed towards AS Roma. Currently, though, the ex-Real Madrid boss is not managing any team. Perhaps this could be the perfect circumstance for Portugal to pursue their objective of introducing Jose Mourinho into their ranks.

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