Did he flee a clash with Cristiano? Mourinho rejects the Portugal national team to save his friend
Loyalty of the "Special One"
The past few weeks have revealed that the Portuguese Football Federation contacted José Mourinho to offer him the position of head coach of the national team. The Portuguese coach chose to ignore the offer and lend a helping hand to his friend Florentino Pérez at Real Madrid.
Portugal's call came at a sensitive time last April, in the weeks that preceded the World Cup, according to the Spanish newspaper "AS".
Roberto Martínez's fate seemed sealed, with a departure from the helm of Portugal on the cards regardless of what happened at the World Cup in North America. So the Portuguese Federation began their search for a successor early, and the first name on the table was José Mourinho.
Mourinho did indeed listen to the federation's officials, discussing the circumstances of working with national teams as a starting point for reaching an agreement. But at that precise moment, Real Madrid made their move.
The Royal Club was going through a difficult period. President Florentino Pérez decided the solution lay in the return of a coach who had already proven his success, and in the same scenario that played out with Zinedine Zidane and Carlo Ancelotti, Pérez turned to the then Benfica coach for help.
The relationship between Pérez and Mourinho had never soured since the Portuguese's departure from Madrid 12 years ago, and his name had been floated on previous occasions. This time, the president and his deputy José Ángel Sánchez felt the moment for his return had come.
Here Mourinho showed his true mettle. A friend never lets you down, or at least Mourinho did not. He answered Real Madrid's call without hesitation and turned down numerous offers, foremost among them the Portuguese national team.
Real Madrid paid the value of the release clause to Benfica to complete the deal. The Portuguese Federation understood the coach's circumstances and quickly turned to another option who knows well how to deal with Cristiano Ronaldo: Jorge Jesus.
The dispute between Cristiano Ronaldo and José Mourinho is well known. Aitor Karanka, Mourinho's former assistant at Real Madrid, revealed details of the heated confrontation that brought the pair together inside the Royal Club's dressing room.
In a previous interview with the programme "El Cafelito", he explained that the spark ignited following the Valencia match in the Copa del Rey. Mourinho sharply reprimanded his star, prompting Ronaldo to respond in front of everyone, breaking down in a tearful tone: "I am the one who supported you so much".
This is not the first time Portugal have knocked on Mourinho's door. Back in 2012, when he was Real Madrid's coach, the Portuguese Federation offered him the chance to lead the national team alongside his work at the Royal Club, but Real Madrid's management refused the dual role at the time.
Today, all indications point to the relationship between the former Benfica player and Real Madrid's president entering a new phase of absolute, complete trust. It mirrors the trust Pérez granted to Zidane and Ancelotti, born of his belief in Mourinho's ability to change the situation the team endured over the past two seasons.
