Purged by Chelsea, José Mourinho nonetheless remains a fascinating character and a manager who will be ardently wooed. The next chapter of his story promises to be as intriguing as the previous ones. Where will it be set? Here are six scenarios.
A sabbatical
Perhaps the 52-year-old will decide that what he needs most is to remove himself from the spotlight pretty much for the first time since he became a manager at 37. That would enable him to spend more time with his father, who is very ill. It might also allow him to reflect on any other factors that made him seem unusually distracted and bolshie this season.
Another second coming
His return to Stamford Bridge ended bitterly, but there is still scope for Mourinho to go back to another of his previous clubs. The bridge to Barcelona may have been burned beyond repair: their supporters refer to him scornfully as “the translator”, belittling the roles he once played at the Camp Nou under Bobby Robson and then Louis van Gaal, and well remembering the infamous eye-poking of Tito Vilanova in 2011.
He was at Real Madrid at that time and, in view of Rafael Benitez’s travails at the Bernabéu, there may soon be a vacancy there that Mourinho could conceivably fill. Club president Florentino Pérez remains on good terms with the Portuguese and his declaration that “no one can predict the future but right now he is not going to come to Madrid” did not kill off speculation. Mourinho endured tetchy relationships with several key players during his previous stint at Madrid, but many of them have moved on, though Cristiano Ronaldo is still there, for now.
Otherwise, a return to Internazionale may not be out of the question: the Nerazzurri are top of Serie A but their manager, Roberto Mancini, has a relatively poor record in European competition and the club may make a change if they reach the Champions League, which Mourinho led them to in 2010.
A new giant in a new country
Mourinho has won titles in Portugal, Spain, Italy and England. He has previously turned down offers from Paris Saint-Germain, but he may respond favourably if the club’s Qatari owners were to approach him again. Not that PSG appear in need of a new manager: reports before Mourinho’s departure from Chelsea suggested that Laurent Blanc was about to be offered a new contract as a reward for PSG’s runaway lead in Ligue One and their progress to the last 16 of the Champions League, where, in February, they will take on Chelsea. Having Mourinho in charge of PSG would certainly add relish to that tie, but ditching Blanc would be exceptionally ruthless and not necessarily wise.
Serial German champions Bayern Munich may need a new manager if, as expected, Pep Guardiola leaves in the summer. But even if Mourinho were interested, it is far from certain that Bayern would consider him suitable, given his style of football and leadership. They are far more likely to go for Carlo Ancelotti.
Manchester United
Mourinho has often said that the Premier League is the domestic championship that excites him most, so what better way to reassert his greatness than by restoring Manchester United to their perch? There is little doubt that Mourinho would have accepted the job if it had been offered to him when Sir Alex Ferguson retired. The club has much of what Mourinho seems to love in football: rich tradition, rich owners and even a vague claim to underdog status, given the rise of their noisy neighbours across the city.
Mourinho’s sudden availability so soon after United’s elimination from the Champions League has audibly increased the desire of some United fans to be rid of Louis Van Gaal.
Wandering mercenary
Sometimes managers seem to lose their competitive streak and become more driven by the prospect of glitz and gigantic salaries. Just because Mourinho is represented by the super-agent Jorge Mendes and found time this season to release a book in October, consult for BT and attend a red carpet event or two does not mean he has become more interested in profiting from his sporting success than deepening it, but the option to do so surely exists. Affluent owners in, say, the Middle East or China would be happy to lavish him with riches.
International management
Mourinho has said previously that he would consider such jobs only when his club work was complete. His own country’s team, Portugal, are doing fine under Fernando Santos, but what about after Euro 2016? And might there be other openings by then? What chance the Football Association and Mourinho getting together if England flop in France? – Guardian service
