Mourinho turned down Real Madrid offer, says former president
Jose Mourinho really wants to stay in the Premier League.
With reports stating that Mourinho and his representatives are growing “frustrated” with Manchester United for not offering him the job and instead sticking with embattled boss Louis Van Gaal , it is now becoming clearer that Real Madrid made a serious play to get him to return to the Santiago Bernabeu.
Former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon — who led Los Blancos from 2006-09 — told Sky Sports in the UK that current president Florentino Perez reached out to Mourinho about taking up his old job before they handed the position to Zinedine Zidane after firing Rafael Benitez last weekend.
“I think it is not a secret that the current president liked Jose Mourinho very much and Perez got in touch with him before deciding to go with Zidane,” Calderon said.
“Apparently, Mourinho did not like to come at this time of the season and Zidane was here so we will have to wait and see what happens in the next few weeks.”
Zidane, 43, was unveiled on Tuesday and although the specific details regarding the length of his contract to coach the first team have not been revealed, it is widely believed the former World Player of the Year has a deal until the summer of 2019.
It's true that Perez is a big fan of Mourinho, who guided Real to the La Liga title in 2012, two second place finishes either side of that and three-straight UEFA Champions League semifinal berths during his three years in charge of Real. It's also true that Perez wields the axe at an alarming rate with the president now appointing 11 coaches during his 12 years in charge over two periods. At a time of his career where he's trying to find longevity the unpredictable nature of life at the Bernabeu is hardly what Mourinho needs.
If Zidane doesn't deliver quickly, maybe Jose will fancy another shot at delivering success to the world's most success hungry club?
It seems as if the door will always be open as long as Perez is running the show.