Real Madrid coach José Mourinho has revealed he came close to accepting the England manager's job in 2007 before eventually turning down the opportunity.
Mourinho was a free agent at the time, having left Chelsea two months before Steve McClaren was fired, and his love of English football is well known after his success with the Blues.
But the Portuguese instead made a last-minute change of heart after realizing he was not yet ready for the particular challenges of international management.
In an interview with L'Équipe, Mourinho said: "I was hours away - I almost signed up for the England national team.
"But at the last minute I began thinking, 'I am going to coach a national side, there will be one match a month and the rest of the time I will be in my office or overseeing matches. And then to have to wait until the summer to compete in a European Championship or a World Cup?' No, it wasn't for me.
"So at the last moment I pulled back, preferring to wait for the right job to come along, a good club, a challenge that could motivate me. That was Inter Milan."
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| Former Chelsea manager José Mourinho is now in charge at Real Madrid Photo: Massimo Cebrelli/GETTY IMAGES |
Mourinho was a free agent at the time, having left Chelsea two months before Steve McClaren was fired, and his love of English football is well known after his success with the Blues.
But the Portuguese instead made a last-minute change of heart after realizing he was not yet ready for the particular challenges of international management.
In an interview with L'Équipe, Mourinho said: "I was hours away - I almost signed up for the England national team.
"But at the last minute I began thinking, 'I am going to coach a national side, there will be one match a month and the rest of the time I will be in my office or overseeing matches. And then to have to wait until the summer to compete in a European Championship or a World Cup?' No, it wasn't for me.
"So at the last moment I pulled back, preferring to wait for the right job to come along, a good club, a challenge that could motivate me. That was Inter Milan."
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