Jose Mourinho's sad admission lays bare his rapid fall from grace
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Jose Mourinho remains one of football's biggest characters. A pantomime villain, in every sense of the word, he has produced memorable moments for the sport ever since his time at Porto.
But there's no denying he's now yesterday's man and his comments in the wake of Fenerbahce's 1-1 draw with Manchester United lay bare his rapid decline.
It is nine years since Mourinho won the Premier League title with Chelsea. Having returned to Stamford Bridge in 2013, it took him just 18 months to add to his legacy in west London - having secured two league crowns during his first stint in the dugout.
He was, at the time, viewed as arguably the best manager in world football. Nobody ever expected him to fall from his perch, having won silverware with the likes of Porto, Inter Milan and Real Madrid before his blockbuster return to the capital.
Jose Mourinho has hinted that he wants a return to England following Fenerbahce's draw with Man Utd
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Ever since his sacking from Chelsea in December 2015, however, Mourinho's reputation has taken blow after blow.
He took charge of United in 2016 charged with the task of going head-to-head with Pep Guardiola. The duo had a fascinating rivalry in Spain, when the Spaniard was in charge of Barcelona. When it came to their second duel in England, however, there was only one winner.
Mourinho did well enough at Old Trafford, winning the EFL Cup and Europa League during his first season in charge.
Yet he never got close to steering the Red Devils to the league title they crave and, by the time he was relieved of his duties in December 2018, everybody was glad to see the back of him. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, his replacement, was even dubbed the 'anti-venom' - such was his predecessor's toxicity.
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Mourinho went to Tottenham not long after but his time in north London failed to live up to expectations, even if he did guide them to a cup final.
He was appointed as Roma boss in 2021 and added another trophy to his collection: The UEFA Conference League.
But again, he never got close to winning Serie A before the same old stories of falling out with players and board members surfaced. He is now in Turkey these days, something that seemed unfathomable just a decade ago.
His Fenerbahce side earned a draw with United on Thursday night, with his team more than holding their own against Erik ten Hag's misfiring Red Devils.
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But there's a sense that Mourinho won't be there much longer. Especially given his post-match comments.
The 61-year-old made it clear he was open to coming back to England for one last adventure. This time around, however, he's eyeing a job at a team closer to the bottom of the table than the top.
“The best thing I have to do is when I leave Fenerbahce, I go to a club that doesn’t play in Uefa competition,” he said.
“So a club at the bottom in England who needs a coach in two years, I’m ready to go.”
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Jose Mourinho was seen as arguably the best manager in the world when he won the Premier League title with Chelsea in 2015
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Yet Mourinho's comments are sad to hear. A serial winner, one who is one of the best managers of all time, has all but admitted he's no longer ready to compete at the top.
Since when did a three-time Premier League champion and two-time Champions League winner start looking at the bottom? It's something that's difficult to pinpoint.
Football has, of course, moved on. Gone are the days where dogged defending is enough to secure glory. Instead, it's tika-taka or full-throttle - with nothing in between.
Mourinho is no longer the man he was 20 years ago, either. He is distrusting, a man sometimes consumed in darkness. His time at Real Madrid, when he clashed with Iker Casillas, Sergio Ramos and Cristiano Ronaldo (to a lesser extent), sparked a drastic change in his mindset.
Jose Mourinho oversaw Fenerbahce's 1-1 draw with Man Utd on Thursday night but was sent off during the clash
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Mourinho remains a joy to watch. He is box office, he is cinematic and he still has the mischievous glint in his eye that made him so endearing two decades ago.
But, by admitting he's eyeing a Premier League job at a team near the bottom of the table, he's effectively laid bare his rapid fall from grace.
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