Roma coach Jose Mourinho says he will work in Saudi Arabia ‘one day’ in the future, while advising Carlo Ancelotti. ‘Only a madman would leave Real Madrid. And I was that madman.’
There continue to be strong questions around the Special One’s future, as his contract at the Stadio Olimpico only runs to the end of the current season and he seems to not even be discussing a renewal.
There had already been an approach from the Saudi Pro League over the summer and they are likely to try again in January.
“I will tell you the truth, I think that one day I will go to Saudi Arabia. However, when I say ‘one day’ I do not mean tomorrow or even the day after tomorrow,” Mourinho told TG2.
He famously rarely spends more than two or three seasons at a single club before moving on and this is his third consecutive campaign with the Giallorossi.
Another potential role that was offered to him in recent months was the opportunity to become coach of the Brazil national team, though they seem to be desperate to get Italian Ancelotti instead.
It has been reported that if Ancelotti did leave, then Real Madrid might look towards Mourinho for a second stint.
“Could I go to Real Madrid? When you have a super coach, why would you think about anyone else? Knowing Don Florentino Perez, and I do know him very well, he is a super intelligent man. If you read the papers, he has some very clear ideas.
“As a Madridista, a man who has a few Blancos ribs in me, and as an Ancelotti fan, I hope the season goes fantastically well and that next year Carlo is still there, because he is the perfect coach for Real Madrid.”
Mourinho was asked what he would do in Ancelotti’s shoes if Brazil came calling?
“I think only a madman would leave Real Madrid when he is still wanted. And that madman was me, the only one who after three years with a President who still wanted me, and Jose Sanchez too, I decided to leave.
“I am certain that at the first sign from Florentino, Carlo will remain, because he is perfect for Real Madrid and Real Madrid are perfect for him.”
This is Ancelotti’s second experience at the Bernabeu, returning in 2021 after a successful run from 2013 to 2015.
As for Mourinho, he moved to Real Madrid in 2010 after winning the Treble at Inter, then departed in 2013 for a return to Chelsea.