It seems like nothing can rattle Jose Mourinho in public, but he might be as vulnerable as anyone else in private.
In a new book set to be published this week, Spanish soccer correspondent Diego Torres claims Mourinho cried when he heard that Manchester United wouldn’t offer him the manager’s job after Sir Alex Ferguson announced his retirement in early May.
In the book, Preparense Para Perder (“Get Ready to Lose” in English), Torres also says that strong relationships between Jorge Mendes (Mourinho’s agent) and United and Ferguson and Mourinho made Mourinho believe he would get the United job. Instead, United chose David Moyes as Ferguson’s successor, which upset the Portuguese tactician, ESPN reports.
“According to an extract published in El Pais, Mourinho was very emotional when the news broke on May 8 that Ferguson had chosen Moyes as his successor,” the report says. “‘Jose Mourinho did not stop calling [sports agency Gestifute] employees. Those he was talking to, could hear him noisily sobbing and word spread. The most feared man in the company was crushed.’
“But Ferguson and senior United figures, including Sir Bobby Charlton, were unsure about Mourinho’s turbulent style, and preferred to go for Moyes. When he heard the former Everton boss had beaten him to the job, Mourinho apparently shouted: ‘But he’s won nothing!'”
Mourinho managed Real Madrid from 2010-2013. He left the Spanish soccer giant after falling out with a number of star players during the second half of his tenure. In June, he took charge of Chelsea FC — one of United’s rivals for Premier League supremacy. If Torres is correct, the Chelsea job was, at best, Mourinho’s second choice. This adds color to an offseason which saw a number of high-profile soccer managers change teams.
Torres often criticized Mourinho, Mendes and Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, according to ESPN. If Torres intends to use the book to settle a score with Mourinho, it may not have the desired effect. Like most people, Mourinho has goals, dreams and ambition. The story of his emotional reaction to a professional disappointment makes him appear to be more well-rounded and more humane than he comes across in public. This could make him more popular with fans around the world, which probably isn’t what Torres wanted to do.
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