Jose Mourinho reveals how close he came to joining Newcastle United - and why he didn't
Jose Mourinho was offered the opportunity to join Sir Bobby Robson at Newcastle United.
Jose Mourinho admitted he came ‘close’ to joining Newcastle United earlier in his career, but his ambitions to be a manager got in the way.
Mourinho had worked as Sir Bobby Robson’s interpreter at Sporting CP and Porto before becoming assistant manager to Robson at Barcelona.
But after Robson was appointed as manager of Newcastle United, Mourinho was handed a reunion opportunity on Tyneside in 2000. The plan would have been for Robson to eventually retire and allow Mourinho to succeed him as manager.
Jose Mourinho admits he was ‘close’ to joining NUFC
“[I was] close to coming with Sir Bobby [as assistant]. But it was a moment in my career where I made my mind and I knew the direction I wanted to go.
“I think one of the qualities of an assistant is to be ready to give everything and to focus only on your boss and the club and not on yourself and that possibility came in a moment where I was already thinking about myself. I was already thinking about my career and I never wanted to be an assistant coach when I was not ready to give everything.
“Then lots of talk, media talk, but honestly, I was never contacted by Newcastle [to be manager]. Never.”
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Mourinho’s decision to move into management away from Newcastle proved a highly successful one as he won the UEFA Cup and Champions League in successive seasons at Porto before ending Chelsea’s league title drought then winning the Champions League again with Inter Milan.
Mourinho then managed Real Madrid to a La Liga title and Copa del Rey before completing an unusual treble with Manchester United. In the 2016/17 season, Mourinho led Man United to Community Shield, League Cup and Europa League success.
Mourinho then had a spell at Tottenham Hotspur but was dismissed just before the League Cup final, which the side lost. Spurs became the first club Mourinho had spent longer than a year at and failed to win a trophy.
The Portuguese manager then became the first to complete the European trophy set as he won the inaugural Conference League with AS Roma in 2022. Since leaving Italy, Mourinho had a spell with Fenerbahce before returning to Portugal with Benfica last month.
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Newcastle United regrets?
While Robson’s attempts to manufacture a managerial role for Mourinho at Newcastle didn’t transpire, the connection the Benfica boss has with The Magpies through his former mentor has regularly seen him linked with the club.
But in reality, it has been nothing more the speculation.
When asked if he has any regrets over not managing Newcastle, Mourinho said: “I don't regret because I never had a chance to. I never told no to Newcastle United.
“I told no to many clubs in my career, always with huge respect, but sometimes I had to say no, I'm not interested. Now is not the right time.
“I've never been contacted by Newcastle United at any moment.
“So I don't regret anything. And to be honest, now I don't think they need a coach. I hope that they don't need one in the next years, which means that everything goes well for the club and for Eddie [Howe], which is what I wish.