Jose Mourinho reveals he has turned down PSG twice because of the allure of managing Real Madrid and returning to Chelsea
Mourinho claimed that he was the first choice of the Parisians when they appointed Carlo Ancelotti
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Your support makes all the difference.Jose Mourinho has revealed that French league champions Paris Saint-Germain have approached him twice to become their new manager, but admits that the opportunities to manager Real Madrid then Chelsea for a second time was too good to turn down.
Mourinho remains unbeaten this season after returning to Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2013, having left Real under a cloud due to a dressing room split. The Portuguese had been linked with the PSG job, which has seen a high turnover of managers despite their impressive domestic success, but a return to the Blues always appeared on the cards.
The self-proclaimed ‘Special One’ will be preparing for their clash with Crystal Palace this weekend as the Premier League resumes following the international break, but he has revealed that the Ligue 1 champions attempted to lure him away from the Santiago Bernabeu during his successful La Liga season.
He also explained how he was the first choice of PSG’s former director of football Leonardo, who eventually appointed another ex-Chelsea manager in Carlo Ancelotti – who coincidentally replaced Mourinho at Real.
“I knew about the project (at PSG) even before it began,” Mourinho said in an interview with Telefoot on Sunday. “I was Leonardo’s first choice (ahead of Ancelotti).
“And when Carlo left (in 2013), they made me another offer. I have rejected them twice.
“I thought a lot about it. But the first time, there was Real Madrid and the second time there was Chelsea.
“The club has an enormous amount of quality, Laurent Blanc is a good manager, Al-Khelaifi a good President. They are in good hands. In the Champions League, they have gained some experience - they can win it.”
Turning his attentions towards his former club, Mourinho once again admitted his admiration for Real centre-back Raphael Varane. The Frenchman has been linked with a move to follow Mourinho to the Premier League, but the Chelsea manager stressed that he sees the 21-year-old’s future in Spain.
“Everybody is talking about Varane coming to Chelsea because they know he is a player I like a lot but everybody knows that he will stay at Real Madrid,” Mourinho added.
He left one last teaser for those back in his homeland as he teased a possible future role with the Portuguese national team, as well as referring once again to his standing as ‘The Special One’.
When asked about the possibility of becoming the national team manager, Mourinho answered: “Become Portugal coach? The country is waiting...
“Everyone has the right to think he's special.”
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