Jose Mourinho Reveals How Close He Came to Joining Newcastle United
Jose Mourinho has revealed he was on the verge of joining Sir Bobby Robson at Newcastle United, but his own managerial ambitions ultimately stopped the move from happening.
Earlier in his career, Mourinho worked under Robson as an interpreter at Sporting CP and Porto, before stepping up as his assistant manager at Barcelona. When Robson took charge of Newcastle United in 2000, Mourinho was offered the chance to reunite with his mentor on Tyneside.
The long-term plan was for Robson to retire and allow Mourinho to take over as Newcastle’s manager — but the Portuguese coach decided it wasn’t the right step for him at that stage.
“I was close to coming with Sir Bobby as his assistant,” Mourinho admitted. “But it was a time in my career when I had already made up my mind about the direction I wanted to go.
“An assistant must be completely focused on the manager and the club — not on himself. But I had already started thinking about my own path. I didn’t want to stay as an assistant when I couldn’t give 100%.
“There was a lot of talk in the media, but honestly, I was never contacted by Newcastle to be their manager.”
Mourinho’s decision to pursue a managerial career elsewhere proved to be the right one. He went on to achieve remarkable success at Porto, winning the UEFA Cup and Champions League in back-to-back seasons. From there, he moved to Chelsea, where he ended the club’s 50-year wait for a league title, before lifting another Champions League trophy with Inter Milan.
His glittering career also included major silverware with Real Madrid, where he won La Liga and the Copa del Rey, as well as a treble with Manchester United — capturing the Community Shield, League Cup, and Europa League in 2016/17.
Although a trophyless spell at Tottenham Hotspur followed, Mourinho’s connection with Newcastle through Sir Bobby Robson has continued to spark speculation about a potential future link with the club.
However, Mourinho insists such rumours have never had any real basis.
“I don’t regret it because I never had the chance to manage Newcastle,” he said. “I’ve turned down many clubs in my career, but Newcastle were never one of them — they never approached me.
“I’ve always had great respect for the club and for Sir Bobby’s time there, but I was never asked to take over. And honestly, I hope they don’t need a new coach for many years, because that would mean things are going well for the club and for Eddie [Howe].
“Right now, I’m very happy and motivated at Benfica. There’s no other club I’d want to be at in this moment.”
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