Mourinho reveals he signed for Manchester United in 2013 — then tore it up for Chelsea
José Mourinho signed a contract to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson as Manchester United manager in 2013, only to tearfully renege on the deal and return to Chelsea instead. The revelation comes in a new Netflix documentary series titled Mourinho, a three-part production filmed over two years that charts the Portuguese manager's rise and features interviews with Ferguson, John Terry, Iker Casillas and Zlatan Ibrahimović. The Guardian
Ferguson retired in May 2013 after winning his 13th Premier League title — a record that still stands. United needed a successor, and Mourinho, freshly departed from Real Madrid, looked the obvious choice. Ferguson, interviewed for the documentary, says he believed Mourinho was accepting the offer. Then, in a matter of hours, everything changed.
Ferguson recalls the moment Mourinho phoned him, crying. "Alex, I can't take it — I've given my word to Chelsea," Mourinho said, according to Ferguson's account in the series. Mourinho had previously managed Chelsea from 2004 to 2007, winning two Premier League titles and building the kind of emotional bond with the club that clearly never loosened.
Mourinho himself describes losing the chance to succeed Ferguson as "dramatic" but says he does not regret it. The decision, he explains, was made with his heart. He returned to Stamford Bridge, won another Premier League title and League Cup, and was sacked in December 2015 — the second time Chelsea had parted ways with him. The Guardian
The irony is that Mourinho did eventually manage Manchester United, taking over in 2016 and lasting two and a half years. He is now back at Real Madrid, the club he left in 2013 before this whole chain of events began.
There is a nice historical wrinkle here too. Back in October 2015, while still Chelsea manager, Mourinho publicly insisted that "even Sir Alex Ferguson" could not have tempted him to take the United job in 2013. ESPN At the time, Ferguson denied forcing through the appointment of David Moyes — the man who ultimately got the job and lasted less than a season. The Guardian Mourinho's public line in 2015 was that his heart was always set on Chelsea. The documentary now fills in the private picture behind that statement, and it turns out the truth was more complicated — a signed contract, a tearful phone call, and a choice that rerouted three clubs' histories.
What makes the story land is the human detail. This is Mourinho, a manager famous for his armour and his command of any room, admitting he cried on the phone to the most powerful figure in British football. Ferguson, a man who rarely showed uncertainty, confessing he was "under the illusion" the deal was done. Two of the game's titans, undone by a matter of the heart.
The Mourinho documentary series is available on Netflix.
