Former Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho was closing in on becoming England manager in 2007 before being convinced of a late U-turn by his wife.
The ex-Reds boss had held talks with the FA over the potential appointment and came within a hair’s breadth of signing on the dotted line. England had just dismissed Steve McClaren after the Three Lions failed to qualify for Euro 2008.
Mourinho himself had not long been shown the door by Chelsea and he claims he was one of the first options the FA went to in their search for a new head coach. However, late intervention from wife Matilde stopped him donning the Three Lions jacket.
Eventually, Italian Fabio Capello was handed the job to spark what turned out to be a disastrous spell for the national team. Speaking to the Guardian in 2014, Mourinho explained what happened.
Holding a pen just above a piece of paper, he said he was “this close” from signing the deal. He added: “My wife told me not to take it and she was right. [Frank] Lampard, [John] Terry, Joe Cole, everybody, was saying, ‘Come, come, come'.
“My players said: ‘The guys from Manchester United and Liverpool call us and say to us: Tell your boss to come.’ I had lots of positive things to push me.”
Mourinho instead went onto Inter Milan where he won two Serie As and the Champions League before a stint at Real saw him win La Liga and the Copa del Rey, prior to his Chelsea return and subsequent United appointment.
“It was the right decision,” Mourinho added on not taking the England job. “We are talking about seven years ago … and I cannot wait two years for a big competition. I cannot be spending two years playing against Kazakhstan and San Marino.
“What would I do during the week? I could go to see the players training with their teams, I ask for permission to spend time with them and to have individual coaching with them.
“I have to work with them, I can improve things. I’m not going to stay at home, I have to travel, I want to see the players, I want to participate in their evolution blah, blah, blah, blah. But in the end my wife was saying: ‘No football, no matches, is not good for you.’
“And she was right. It was not the job for me seven years ago, it’s not the job for me now and I don’t think it will be the job for me in seven years’ time. Maybe in 15 years from now but not seven.”