Jose Mourinho reveals he signed 2013 deal to replace Alex Ferguson at Man Utd

The transition agreement that nearly altered the trajectory of English football has come to light through the Netflix documentary series Mourinho, according to reporting from Goal, punchng.com, mirror.co.uk, and sportbible.com. The disclosures expose how close Manchester United came to securing the Portuguese tactician as Sir Alex Ferguson's direct successor, only for an emotional reversal to redirect his career path back to Stamford Bridge.

When Mourinho left Real Madrid in 2013, he formally committed to succeeding Ferguson at Old Trafford. Ferguson confirmed in the documentary series that he sat the manager down, mapped out the transition, and left the meeting believing the appointment was fully secured. As far as I was concerned, he was accepting, Ferguson recalled in accounts published by punchng.com and mirror.co.uk. Yet within hours, the arrangement evaporated.

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"Early evening 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'. The reason he gave to me I could understand, but I was disappointed."

Sir Alex Ferguson, former Manchester United manager, via goal.com and sportbible.com

Mourinho acknowledged that while Manchester United held an incredible appeal very close to that of Real Madrid, his decision ultimately rested on a deeply personal imperative. As reported across goal.com and Sportbible, the coach explained that his affection for Chelsea outweighed his love for the game itself. Following his turbulent exit from Madrid, he stated that he fundamentally needed to feel that I'm loved.

The resulting U-turn left United to appoint David Moyes, while Mourinho returned to west London. That choice immediately yielded dividends on the pitch, as Mourinho guided Chelsea to a third Premier League title alongside a League Cup triumph, according to Punchng and sportbible.com.

Beyond the rejected Old Trafford contract, the documentary series digs into the underlying personal animosities that fueled Mourinho's career choices, notably his strained dynamic with former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich. Mirror highlights Mourinho's recollections of facing Chelsea in the Champions League with Inter Milan in 2010, where he admitted his motivation was directed squarely at the boardroom rather than the players on the pitch. I was playing against a guy that sacked me. It felt like pleasure, Mourinho said of Abramovich, framing football as a domain belonging strictly to players, coaches, and fans rather than corporate interlopers. Mourinho also noted that he had originally targeted Samuel Eto'o during his initial Stamford Bridge tenure, only for Abramovich to complete a deal for Andriy Shevchenko instead.

Chronology of Mourinho's Major Post-2013 Transitions

• 2013: Rejects the Manchester United succession agreement and returns to Chelsea for a second spell, later winning the Premier League title and League Cup.
• 2016: Takes charge at Old Trafford, succeeding Louis van Gaal and subsequently securing the League Cup and Europa League trophies.

The missed 2013 transition was ultimately deferred rather than erased. Three years after turning down the post, Mourinho took charge at Old Trafford in 2016, succeeding Louis van Gaal as noted by punchng.com and sportbible.com. His tenure in Manchester brought a League Cup and a Europa League trophy in his first season, followed by a second-place league finish behind Manchester City, before his dismissal in December 2019, as detailed by sportbible.com.

Reflecting on the dramatic divergence in his career path, Mourinho maintained that losing the opportunity to directly succeed Ferguson was a dramatic blow, yet one he harbors no regrets over because it was guided by his heart. As documented by goal.com, he viewed the choice as a natural pursuit of affection: When you do something for love, you are never doing anything wrong. As the Netflix series unspools these long-guarded background agreements across goal.com, punchng.com, mirror.co.uk, and sportbible.com, public attention remains fixed on how English club management might have unfolded had the initial 2013 agreement held firm.