Jose Mourinho has confirmed he turned down the chance to succeed Alex Ferguson at Manchester United in 2013, three years before he eventually joined the Red Devils.

Mourinho is now back in charge of Real Madrid for a second time, having won LaLiga, the Copa del Rey and the Supercopa de Espana in his first spell, between 2010 and 2013.

Upon leaving Los Blancos, Mourinho was strongly linked with the United job, with Ferguson retiring after 27 years in charge. 

Mourinho ultimately wound up rejoining Chelsea, who he led to the Premier League title for a third time in 2014-15, and he has now revealed how close he came to replacing Ferguson. 

In a new Netflix documentary entitled Mourinho, both he and Ferguson discuss his sudden U-turn on the United job, which led to David Moyes' appointment. 

"He was offered the job, yes. I sat him down and explained the situation," Ferguson said. "As far as I was concerned, he was accepting. 

"And then, within hours, it changed. One night, he phoned me, and he was crying, and he said, 'Alex, I can't take it. I've given my word to Chelsea and I'm not going to break my word'.

"The reason he gave to me, I could understand, but I was disappointed."

United's first campaign following Ferguson's retirement was a major disappointment. As defending champions, they finished seventh in the Premier League under Moyes, who lasted less than 12 months in the job. 

Mourinho eventually joined United in 2016 and won the EFL Cup and the Europa League during his two-and-a-half-year reign, also leading them to a second-placed Premier League finish.

That remains the Red Devils' joint-highest finish since Ferguson's retirement, matched only by another runner-up finish under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in 2020-21.

Looking back to the summer of 2013, Mourinho said the emotional pull of a return to Chelsea, where he had already won two league titles and three domestic cups between 2004 and 2007, was too strong to resist.

"When I left Real Madrid, I signed to go to Manchester United after Sir Alex," Mourinho said. "But one thing is love for football, another thing is love for a certain club.

"I think this is more powerful than love for football and, fundamentally, after Real Madrid, I needed to feel that I was loved.

"For me to lose the chance to be the coach to succeed Alex Ferguson was dramatic, but I don't regret it because it was a decision that I made with my heart."