Jose Mourinho reveals he rejected chance to manage Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal and one other national team

Jose Mourinho has revealed that he turned down the opportunity to manage Portugal and England during his time with Manchester United.

The former Red Devils and Chelsea manager's comments came during an exclusive interview with Rio Ferdinand and Stephen Howson on the FIVEUK podcast.

Mourinho, who recently got fired by Italian club AS Roma, reflected on his time in England with Manchester United - where he spent two-and-a-half seasons between 2016-2018.

Mourinho revealed that he turned down the opportunity to manage compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo with Portugal while at Old Trafford.

Mourinho is widely regarded as one of the best football managers and would have had a big opportunity to take charge of his country's national team.

He, however, revealed during an interview with the FIVEUK podcast that he turned down an offer from the Portuguese FA because he was committed to Manchester United.

When asked how he reflects on his time with United, he said:

"I loved my time there. I don't think the media helped me. I refused great working opportunities, the first one was very, very hard to refuse because it was Portugal. I could've been their coach in the national team."

He said that aside from Portugal, he was also offered the opportunity to manage England while at Manchester United. He said:

"I had it there [England job] on the table. I didn't because I gave everything. I gave my heart and even options that could be considered not very cleaver from a professional point of view."

Mourinho was eventually dismissed as the Red Devils manager in December 2018 after a poor start to the 2018-19 campaign. His United team had picked up just seven win from their first 17 PL games before he got fired.

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Possible destinations for Jose Mourinho

Jose Mourinho is currently without a job after leaving AS Roma in January, following a disappointing start to the 2023-24 football campaign.

The Portuguese is widely regarded as one of the greatest tacticians of all time, and as expected, it's only a matter of time before he lands a new job.

A return to former club Chelsea, in what would be his third-spell with the Blues, could a possible. Multiple reports, including one from 90mins, suggest that the Portuguese is keen on a return to the west London giants.

Another report has also linked Mourinho with a possible move to Bayern Munich next season. The Daily Mail revealed that the Portuguese is currently learning German with the hopes of taking over from under-fire manager Thomas Tuchel at Bayern.

Other top clubs currently in search of a new manager that could possibly consider Mourinho include Liverpool and Barcelona. It will be interesting to what the next destination for the Portuguese tactician will be.