Purged by Chelsea and downgraded from the Special One to the Unemployed One, José Mourinho nonetheless remains a fascinating character and a manager who will be ardently wooed. His story is far from finished. The next chapter promises to be at least as intriguing as the previous ones, and possibly as successful. Where will it be set? Here are six scenarios.
A sabbatical
Perhaps the 52-year-old will decide what he needs most is to remove himself from the spotlight pretty much for the first time since he became a manager at the age of 37. That would enable him to spend more time with his father, who is very ill. It might also allow him to reflect more on any other factors that made him seem unusually distracted and particularly bolshy this season. A habit of engaging in fights he cannot win does little long-term good for a manager who values winning above all else in sport, and it seemed more pronounced than ever in the last few months. A break may turn out to be what Mourinho needs to address that.
Another second coming
His return to Stamford Bridge ended bitterly but there is still scope for Mourinho to go back to another of his previous clubs. The bridge to Barcelona appears to have been burned beyond repair: their supporters refer to him scornfully as the Translator, deliberately belittling the roles he once played at the Camp Nou under first Bobby Robson and then Louis van Gaal, and well remembering his various clashes with the club since then, including the infamous eye-poking of Tito Vilanova in 2011. He was at Real Madrid at that time and, iIn view of Rafael Benítez’s travails at the Bernabéu, there may soon be a vacancy there that Mourinho could conceivably fill. The club’s president, Florentino Pérez, remains on very good terms with the Portuguese and his declaration on Friday that “no one can predict the future but right now he is not going to come to Madrid” barely managed to inflict a flesh wound on speculation, let alone kill it off. Mourinho endured tetchy relationships with several key players during his previous stint at Madrid but many of them have moved on, though Cristiano Ronaldo is still there, for now. Otherwise, a return to Internazionale may not be out of the question: the Nerazzurri are currently top of Serie A but their manager, Roberto Mancini, has a relatively poor record in European competition and the club may choose to make a change if they reach the Champions League, which Mourinho led them to in 2010.
A new giant in a new country
Mourinho has won titles in Portugal, Spain, Italy and England. He has previously turned down offers to take charge of Paris Saint-Germain but he may respond favourably if the club’s Qatari owners were to approach him again. Not that PSG appear in urgent need of a new manager: reports in France before Mourinho’s departure from Stamford Bridge suggested that Laurent Blanc was about to be offered a new contract as a reward for PSG’s runaway lead in Ligue 1 and their progress to the last 16 of the Champions League, where, in February, they will take on Chelsea. That looks a juicy enough tie as it is but having Mourinho in charge of PSG would certainly add relish. But ditching Blanc before then to hire Mourinho would be exceptionally ruthless and not necessarily wise. There is also the question of how much the weekly chore of inevitably dominating the French league would stimulate Mourinho. The same might even be said of the Bundesliga, where Bayern Munich reign supreme. The serial German champions may need a new manager if, as expected, Pep Guardiola leaves in the summer. But even if Mourinho were interested, it is far from certain that Bayern would consider him a suitable fit given that his style of football and leadership is very different to that of his long-time adversary Guardiola. They are far more likely to go for Carlo Ancelotti.
Manchester United
Mourinho has often said that the Premier League is the domestic championship that excites him most, so what more engrossing way to reassert his greatness than by restoring Manchester United to their perch of yore? There is little doubt that Mourinho would have accepted the job if it had been offered to him when Sir Alex Ferguson retired and the club surely retain a strong allure to him even if the current team are playing without sparkle under his old friend Van Gaal. United have much of what Mourinho seems to love in football: rich tradition, rich owners and even a vague claim to underdog status, given the rise of their neighbours across the city. Mourinho’s sudden availability so soon after United’s elimination from the Champions League and amid plodding in the Premier League has audibly increased the desire of some United supporters to be rid of Van Gaal. Might more bad performances mean goodbye Van Gaal, hello Mourinho?
Wandering mercenary
Sometimes managers seem to lose their competitive streak and become more driven by the prospect of glitz and gigantic salaries. Just because Mourinho is represented by the super-agent Jorge Mendes and found time this season to release a book in October, consult for BT and attend a red carpet event or two does not mean he has become more interested in profiting from his sporting success than deepening it, but the option to do so surely exists. Plenty of affluent owners or national associations in, say, the Middle East or China would be happy to lavish him with riches just so their club or country could bask in his glow.
International management
There are countries that Mourinho might be persuaded to lead for more than just money even if he has previously indicated that he would consider such jobs only when his work at club level is complete. Portugal, most obviously. They are currently doing fine under Fernando Santos but what about after Euro 2016? And might there be other interesting opportunities by then? What chance the Football Association and Mourinho getting together if England flop in France?
