Jose Mourinho has revealed that his decision to leave Real Madrid in 2013 to rejoin Chelsea ranks among the biggest regrets of his legendary managerial career.
A decade ago, Mourinho was one of the most sought-after managers in world football, rivaling Pep Guardiola as a top-tier tactician. However, his move to Chelsea marked a pivotal moment in his career trajectory, which has since seen him drift away from managing Europe’s elite clubs.
In 2013, Mourinho was just one year into a four-year contract with Real Madrid. He had led the team to a record-breaking 100-point La Liga title in 2011/12, finally dethroning Barcelona. But after what he described as the “worst” season of his career, Mourinho chose to return to Chelsea for a second stint, cutting ties with Madrid and informing club president Florentino Perez of his decision.
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In a recent interview with Corriere dello Sport, Mourinho, now 61, reflected on his regrets in football.
“If we talk about matches, I regret many because, when you lose, you always think about what you could have done differently,” he said. “But if you’re asking about professional choices, my biggest regret is saying ‘no’ to Florentino. He told me, ‘Mou, don’t leave now. You’ve done the hard part, and the good part is yet to come.’ I knew he was right, but I wanted to return to Chelsea after three intense years in Spain.”
Although Mourinho delivered Chelsea their first Premier League title in five years during the 2014/15 season, Real Madrid won the Champions League the season after his departure. Remarkably, Mourinho, once synonymous with European success thanks to his triumphs with Porto and Inter Milan, has not won the competition since 2010.
Mourinho also admitted another major regret: not leaving Roma after losing the 2023 Europa League final to Sevilla on penalties. Instead, he stayed on, but poor results the following season led to his dismissal just seven months later.