Here’s the Story of How Mourinho Agreed to Succeed Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United Before One Tearful Phone Call Changed Everything

Manchester, MMN Correspondent: For 26 years, the idea of Manchester United without Sir Alex Ferguson was almost impossible to imagine. He had built dynasties, won titles, and made Old Trafford feel untouchable. When he announced his retirement in 2013, the question on everyone's mind was simple. Who could possibly follow him? The public answer was David Moyes. The real answer, as a new Netflix documentary reveals, was Jose Mourinho.

Mourinho, now 63 and back at Real Madrid for a second spell, says it directly. “When I left Real Madrid, I signed to go to Manchester United after Sir Alex.” That single sentence changes how we understand that summer. Ferguson himself backs it up. “He was offered the job, yes. I sat him down and explained the situation. As far as I was concerned, he was accepting. And then, within hours, it changed.”

So what happened in those hours? A phone call. A voice in tears. Ferguson remembers it clearly. “One night, he phoned me and he was crying and he says, 'Alex, I can't take it. I've given my word to Chelsea and I'm not going to break my word.'” Mourinho had already made a promise elsewhere, and his loyalty to that promise outweighed the chance to succeed the greatest manager in the club's history.

Here is where the story gets interesting. Mourinho built his career on preparation, control, and the ability to read a situation before anyone else. In this moment, he let his emotions lead. He explains, “One thing is love for football, another thing is love for a certain club. I think this is more powerful than love for football. After Real Madrid, I needed to feel that I'm loved.” There is something very human about a manager admitting that. He wanted to be somewhere that already knew his value, and Chelsea was that place.

That choice sent English football down a different path. Mourinho returned to Chelsea and delivered another Premier League title in 2015, along with a League Cup. His time there ended in December 2015. The story was far from over. Manchester United tried David Moyes first. He lasted ten months. Then came Louis van Gaal, who lifted the FA Cup but could not build the kind of title challenge the fans were waiting for. In May 2016, Mourinho finally walked through the Old Trafford door. He won the League Cup and the Europa League in his first season, and in December 2018 the journey came to a close. The chance to be the man who followed Ferguson was not the same when it arrived for a second time.

The documentary takes an unflinching look at other defining moments in his career, especially his first spell at Real Madrid. He had been sent to challenge Pep Guardiola's Barcelona, and he succeeded in that mission. His team won La Liga with a record 100 points, plus the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup. The dressing room was another story. The relationship with Iker Casillas became so tense that the legendary goalkeeper describes it as “very cold.” Sami Khedira paints a picture of a divided squad. “Iker is a Real Madrid legend, loved by every Real Madrid supporter. He benched him, doesn't speak to him, spoke bad about him in the media, so then this locker room was a nightmare, honestly. After that, the relationship between Jose and many, many players was broken like Cristiano Ronaldo and the Spanish guys, Casillas, Sergio Ramos.”

Mourinho's response to that criticism is typical. He tells the documentary about his first three conversations with Casillas, each one a request for something other than football. More holidays, later training, no hotel on matchday. “In a short period of time, I realised they're spoilt,” he says. Casillas remembers it differently, especially when Mourinho's rivalry with Barcelona extended into the Spain team. Mourinho makes no apology. “When you go to the national team, then you can kiss the guy, but not now. This is war.”

The documentary also explores the complicated relationship between Mourinho and Roman Abramovich. The former Chelsea owner hired him and eventually ended that relationship twice. Mourinho describes Abramovich as a man with incredible passion for football. He also says that, when it came to the daily reality at Chelsea, the owner knew nothing about the situation. The signing of Andriy Shevchenko in 2006 is used as an example. Mourinho never wanted the Ukrainian striker. The deal had connections higher up. He wanted Samuel Eto'o instead. Shevchenko's move never lived up to the excitement around it, and that episode added another layer to a bond that always had an edge.

The emotion came to the surface in February 2010. Mourinho had taken over at Inter Milan and drawn Chelsea in the Champions League. Inter won 2-1. Mourinho admits that the match was personal. “I was playing against Roman that game,” he says. “I go home happy and he goes home upset. I needed revenge, because football belongs to people like me. The other ones are the intruders that don't belong.”

What makes this story so compelling is the contradiction at the centre of it. Mourinho built his entire reputation on control and preparation. Then he turned down the most famous job in England because he wanted to feel wanted. He chose Chelsea over the chance to replace Ferguson. He says now that he does not regret it. It was a decision made with his heart, and that is perhaps the most revealing thing he has ever admitted about himself.

The 2013 phone call between two football giants is now part of the public record. It changed the direction of Manchester United, Chelsea, and maybe the entire Premier League. The documentary lets us hear both sides, and it gives fans a new way to understand a moment that has been discussed for years. The story of Mourinho and Ferguson was always going to have a twist. This is it.