Jose Mourinho has openly admitted that one of the biggest regrets of his career is saying ‘NO’ to Florentino Perez for leaving Real Madrid to rejoin Chelsea.
During his time in Madrid, Mourinho was at the height of his managerial career, leading the team through a period of intense competition with Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona.
His three years at the helm saw Real Madrid finally break Barcelona’s dominance, a remarkable achievement in itself. However, his final season at the club ended without any major trophies, which ultimately led to his departure.
Perez urged Mourinho to stay
Despite this, Real Madrid’s president, Florentino Perez, urged Mourinho to stay, insisting that the best was yet to come and that the team was on the brink of further success.
Mourinho, however, chose to go in a different direction, opting to return to Chelsea, a club he had previously left in 2007.
This decision marked the beginning of his second spell with the Blues, which was highlighted by winning a third Premier League title.
While Mourinho did achieve more success in England, including a league title, his second tenure at Chelsea was far from smooth. After just over two years, he was dismissed from his position.
Mourinho speaks out
Reflecting on the situation now, Mourinho admits that perhaps his decision to leave Madrid was not the best one.
“The ‘no’ to ( Real Madrid president) Florentino Perez (is one regret),” he told Corriere dello Sport.
He acknowledges that he could have built on the momentum at Real Madrid, especially after Perez’s plea for him to stay, which he now sees as sound advice.
“He said to me: ‘Don’t leave, you’ve done the hard part and the best part is yet to come.’ I knew it was true, but I wanted to return to Chelsea after three years of great challenges in Spain,” he added.
Mourinho remains a legendary figure in both Chelsea and Real Madrid’s histories, having won league titles with both clubs.
However, his career post-Chelsea has been less fruitful, with his time at Manchester United and Tottenham not yielding the same level of success.
