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Cape Town - As an exclusive football analyst for Yahoo, the Chelsea manager has had time on his hands now that there the Barclays Premier League is in hiatus for two more months and in that time he has been making some interesting statements.
He reckons his homeland Portugal will be in the final and their opponents will be none other than British media’s favourite team to hog, England.
The two time UEFA Champions League winner (Porto and Inter Milan) says that he will win a big competition and it will be on penalties. He believes that his luck will come from the penalty spot although having only won once in a penalty shoot-out.
A long admirer of Wanye Rooney, Mourinho was close to signing the striker in the beginning of last season until then manager David Moyes convinced the striker to stay at Old Trafford. The Portuguese makes mention that Rooney is right in saying that this is his SWC and feels the 300 thousand pound a week player will be ‘ambitious and hungry to achieve’ following a poor season with the Red Devils.
He now reveals that in 2007 after being axed from the Chelsea managerial position he was whisker away from being the England manager.
“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 says. “I could get the national team but not a club.”
He says that the Chelsea players John Terry, Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole wanted him to join and said that players at Manchester United and Liverpool were keen on him becoming England manager.
But the reason he did not take it was the person he goes home to every night, his wife Matilda. “My wife told me not to take it and she was right.”
“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.”
“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.”
