Jose Mourinho rejected Real Madrid’s advances over the manager’s position at the club before hiring Carlo Ancelotti, according to the Telegraph.
Real Madrid Approached Jose Mourinho Before Carlo Ancelotti
The New Roma Boss Showed No Interest in Returning to the Bernabeu
When Zinedine Zidane resigned from Real Madrid due to the club’s efforts to undermine him, Florentino Perez looked to another former manager before bringing Carlo Ancelotti back to the club.
Mourinho managed Real Madrid for three seasons, winning La Liga and the Copa Del Rey before returning to Chelsea. Ancelotti then left Paris Saint-Germain to replace him in 2013.
Despite winning trophies while competing with one of the great modern club sides (Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona) Mourinho left on a sour note with fans of Los Blancos. His toxic relationship with key players and with the Spanish media meant the Madrid faithful were happy to see the back of him after losing a cup final to city rivals Atletico Madrid. Despite this, he has remained a popular figure with the club’s president Florentino Perez.
Managerial Merry-Go-Round
While Mourinho’s team entertained talks with his former club over the weekend after Zidane’s resignation, they showed little interest in going back to Madrid after signing a three-year contract with Roma. He is reportedly excited about the club’s project and the direction the Friedkin Group plan to take the club.
Perez was eager to quickly replace Zidane after his abrupt exit and wasted no time moving on to his next managerial target – Carlo Ancelotti. The Madrid president’s efforts to bring a former manager to the club are of little surprise, as he had the same idea the last time he needed to appoint a manager.
The Italian’s departure from Goodison Park has been part of a manager merry-go-round this summer, which was sparked by Antonio Conte leaving Inter Milan last week.
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