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Mourinho: I considered England

07/10/2008

Jose Mourinho has admitted the main reason he did not take the England job last year was because he enjoys club management too much.

The former Chelsea manager revealed to the BBC's Inside Sport programme that he considered applying for the role after Steve McClaren was sacked 11 months ago.

But he said the lure of club management and the day-to-day running of a side is his focus for the foreseeable future.

"In a certain moment I considered being England manager," Mourinho said.

"Firstly, I was in love with the football country and with England and I was happy there.

"And secondly because if you have one country where the prestige of the national team manager is huge, it is England.

"But at the same time my passion for the day-by-day work, my passion to train every day, my desire to play every week and if possible more than one game a week, this is my life.

"That's the life I want to have."

Mourinho restated his ambition to one day manage the national team of his home country, Portugal, and revealed he already turned down the chance to succeed current Chelsea coach Luiz Felipe Scolari when he stepped down after Euro 2008.

"I always had in my career project the Portuguese national team job as one of the last moments of my career but they tried to press me to do it early," Mourinho continued.

"Sometimes you have to jump out of this road you built - but they understand that I cannot do it now.

"I do want to have the experience of coaching my country one day."