Mourinho Confirms He Agreed to Succeed Ferguson — Then Chose Chelsea

Jose Mourinho has finally put the long-running rumour to rest: he did agree to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United in 2013 — and then backed out. The full story, including a tearful phone call and a loyalty pledge to Chelsea, is laid bare in a new Netflix documentary series about the veteran coach's career.

The Handshake That Almost Was

According to BBC Sport, Ferguson himself confirms Mourinho was his chosen successor heading into retirement. The legendary Scot sat Mourinho down, explained the transition, and left the meeting convinced the deal was done.

"As far as I was concerned, he was accepting. And then, within hours, it changed," Ferguson said in the documentary.

Mourinho, now 63 and back for a second stint at Real Madrid, doesn't dispute it. He signed to go to United after leaving the Bernabeu, he says — full stop.

The Phone Call That Flipped Everything

What derailed the move was a deeper pull: Chelsea. Mourinho had won back-to-back Premier League titles at Stamford Bridge in 2005 and 2006, and the club was offering him a return. He couldn't say no.

Ferguson recalls the moment Mourinho called him that night.

"He was crying and he says, 'Alex, I can't take it. I've given my word to Chelsea and I'm not going to break my word,'" Ferguson said.

Mourinho framed the decision in emotional terms — not tactics, not money, but heart. He described Manchester United as having "incredible appeal" but said his loyalty to Chelsea outweighed the prestige of the Old Trafford job.

"I don't regret it because it was a decision that I made with my heart," he said.

The man who did get the job — David Moyes — lasted just 10 months before being dismissed. Mourinho, meanwhile, returned to Chelsea and added a third Premier League title plus the League Cup to his already stacked CV.

A Second Bite at United

Mourinho eventually did land at Old Trafford — just three years later. In May 2016, he replaced Louis van Gaal and spent two and a half seasons in charge, winning the League Cup and Europa League before being sacked in December 2018 as results collapsed.

It wasn't the reign either he or Ferguson had imagined. The timing, the squad, the circumstances — none of it matched the 2013 opportunity.

The Real Madrid Fallout

The documentary also digs into Mourinho's fractured relationship with Iker Casillas during his first Real Madrid spell — a rift that ultimately poisoned the entire dressing room. Former midfielder Sami Khedira didn't mince words.

"He benched him, doesn't speak to him, spoke bad about him in the media, so then this locker room was a nightmare, honestly," Khedira said, adding that key figures like Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos, and Casillas all drifted away from Mourinho.

Mourinho's version? He grew frustrated quickly. In his telling, Casillas — in their first three conversations — asked for extra national team holidays, later training sessions to avoid traffic, and permission to skip the pre-match hotel stay. Mourinho concluded they were "spoilt."

Casillas pushed back, saying it came down to respect — and Mourinho's war-mentality approach to the club's Barcelona rivals didn't sit well with the Spain internationals in his squad. Real finished 15 points behind Barcelona in 2012-13 and Mourinho was dismissed. The 100 points Real had accumulated in 2011-12 still stands as a La Liga record — a reminder of just how high that first run peaked before it fell apart.

Abramovich, Shevchenko, and the One That Got Away

Mourinho also revisits his complicated history with former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, who hired him twice and fired him twice. The biggest flashpoint? The £30 million signing of Andriy Shevchenko in 2006 — a deal Mourinho says he never wanted.

"I never wanted to sign him, but I never told no one, so it's also my responsibility," he admitted.

The player he actually wanted? Samuel Eto'o. Shevchenko managed just nine league goals in 48 appearances at Stamford Bridge. The gap between the two outcomes speaks for itself.

With Mourinho now back at the Bernabeu and the documentary pulling back the curtain on decades of high-stakes decisions, this is as candid as football's most guarded manager has ever been.

Related on Ni4o: Red Bull Apologises to Verstappen for Qualifying Crash · Hamilton Qualifies Third as Ferrari Trail Mercedes in Austria · Nikola Jokic Leans Toward Delaying Nuggets Extension Again