‘I wanted to return…’ - Jose Mourinho shares biggest regrets in his career

One of Jose Mourinho's greatest regrets in his career, he has freely acknowledged, was turning down Florentino Perez's request to return to Chelsea from Real Madrid. At the peak of his managerial career, Mourinho guided Real Madrid through a period of fierce rivalry with Barcelona, led by Pep Guardiola. 

After three years in charge, Real Madrid ultimately ended Barcelona's hegemony, which is an incredible accomplishment in and of itself. Unfortunately, he left the club after his last season ended without winning any significant titles. 

Jose Mourinho was pushed to stay by Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, who insisted that the squad was about to achieve even greater success and that the best was still to come. But instead, Mourinho decided to take another route, returning to Chelsea, which he had left in 2007. 

His second stint with the Blues began with this choice, and it was capped off by a third Premier League championship. Although Mourinho did have greater success in England, including winning a league title, his second stint at Chelsea was anything from easy. A little more than two years later, he lost his job.

Looking back, Mourinho acknowledges that leaving Madrid might not have been the wisest choice.“Saying no to Florentino Perez remains one of the big regrets,” Mourinho said. Especially when Perez pleaded for him to remain, which he now views as wise advice, he admits that he could have continued the momentum at Real Madrid. “He told me: Don’t leave now, you’ve done the hard part and the good part is yet to come. Stay at Real Madrid.“But I wanted to return to Chelsea after three tough years in Spain.”

Jose Mourinho regarded as best manager for Real Madrid and Chelsea

Mourinho won a Copa del Rey, the Supercopa de Espana, and the La Liga title while he was with the La Liga powerhouses. With two league championships under his belt, Mourinho is still regarded as a legend in the history of both Chelsea and Real Madrid. 

His tenure at Manchester United and Tottenham, however, did not provide the same degree of success, hence his career after Chelsea has been less successful. Despite Mourinho's leadership, Fenerbahce remains eight points behind Galatasaray in the Turkish Super Lig. Additionally, they are ranked 21st in the Europa League group stages.