Mourinho admits he was seriously considering
succeeding Steve McClaren as England boss after
his failure to qualify for Euro 2008.
The Portuguese had just left Chelsea earlier that
season but was unable to take another Premier
League job under the terms in which he left
Stamford Bridge.
Because of this, Mourinho admits he contemplated
stepping up to the international stage, but he now
admits that although he would consider it, that
would not be for another 15-years.
“At that time I could not get an English club
because of my contract when I left Chelsea, I
couldn’t get an English club in the next two years,”
Mourinho - who is working as an ambassador for
Yahoo during the World Cup finals - admitted.
“I could get the national team but not a club.
“Lampard, Terry, Joe Cole, everybody, was saying,
‘Come, come, come,’ - my players said, ‘The guys
from Manchester United and Liverpool call us and
say to us: Tell your boss to come.’ I had lots of
positive things to push me.”
But Mourinho admits it was his wife Matilde who
persuaded him not to link-up with England.
“My wife told me not to take it and she was right,”
the Chelsea manager says. “It was the right
decision. We are talking about seven years ago
and I cannot wait two years for a big competition. I
cannot be spending two years playing against
Kazakhstan and San Marino.
“What would I do during the week? I could go to
see the players training with their teams, I ask for
permission to spend time with them and to have
individual coaching with them, I have to work with
them, I can improve things.
"I’m not going to stay at home, I have to travel, I
want to see the players, I want to participate in
their evolution blah, blah, blah, blah. But in the
end my wife was saying: ‘No football, no matches,
is not good for you.’
“And she was right. It was not the job for me
seven years ago, it’s not the job for me now and I
don’t think it will be the job for me in seven years’
time. Maybe in 15 years from now but not seven.”
Mourinho has already stated that he thinks
England could make the final in Brazil and create a
real shock.
“England is the kind of team [from whom] I am
always expecting something good but I am never
surprised when things go wrong,” Mourinho
admits.
“If England is world champion, it’s not a surprise
for me. If England is knocked out in the group
phase, it’s not a surprise for me.”
He believes Wayne Rooney will have a big
tournament in Brazil, adding: “Wayne is right when
he says this is his World Cup.
"He’s not a kid any more and he’s not an old
player at the end of his career. It’s the World Cup
in the right moment.
“He has a role as leader in the team and I think he
is ready to cope with this pressure. Maybe the fact
that the season was not good for him at United
can also play a positive role. He will be ambitious
and hungry to succeed.”
He would also not comment on whether his
Chelsea captain John Terry would be seriously
missed by England, after his retirement, adding:
“It’s time to forget John and support Phil
Jagielka."
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