José Mourinho is once again commanding attention, this time through the medium of television rather than the touchline. A new Netflix documentary chronicling his managerial career is set to premiere, and its trailer has already stirred debate among football observers for its bold framing of the Portuguese coach's legacy.
In the promotional material, Mourinho declares that documentaries are not made about managers who fail to win trophies, a statement that invites scrutiny given his recent managerial history. Since 2017, his only major trophy has come from Roma's Europa Conference League triumph in the 2021-22 season. His spells since then at Tottenham, Fenerbahce and Benfica did not yield silverware, complicating the narrative the documentary seems eager to construct.
Despite the uneven recent results, Mourinho retains a magnetic pull over football audiences, largely built on the legacy of his earlier career at Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan and his first stint at Real Madrid, when he was widely regarded as one of the sport's premier tacticians. The documentary leans heavily into that nostalgia, featuring numerous former colleagues and pundits reflecting on his achievements from two decades ago.
Among the more intriguing revelations in the film is Mourinho's claim that he was once poised to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United back in 2013, only to withdraw from the arrangement at the last moment. "I go to Chelsea in 2013 but in that period there is something nobody knows," Mourinho says in the documentary. "When I left Real Madrid [the first time], I signed with Manchester United to go to United after Sir Alex."
Ferguson himself appears in the documentary to corroborate the story, describing an emotional phone call from Mourinho. "He phoned me and he was crying," Ferguson recalls. "And he says: '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."
The anecdote, involving a manager reportedly signing with one club while simultaneously pledging loyalty to another, is emblematic of the kind of unpredictable drama that has followed Mourinho throughout his career. Whether viewed as calculated self-promotion or genuine reflection, the documentary arrives at a moment when Mourinho is now tasked with restoring stability and success to Real Madrid, a club under the ownership of Florentino Pérez that demands constant silverware and high-profile performances.
Given the club's reputation for internal pressure, media scrutiny and dramatic swings in fortune, some observers have already suggested that Mourinho's current tenure at the Bernabéu could itself provide compelling material for a future documentary, regardless of the outcome.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in European football, pressure is mounting on other managers facing early-season struggles. Rangers boss Derek McInnes addressed frustrations after his side fell five points behind Celtic in the Scottish Premiership following just two matches, including a 2-1 defeat to Hibernian at Ibrox. "It's 15 years of frustration here at this club. Nobody knows that more than me," McInnes said. "Every Rangers team is a byproduct of that frustration. The Rangers fans just want to see their team winning and so do I. And we will get there. I'm not going to ask the fans for more patience because I think the Rangers fans have been patient enough."
As the new season unfolds, both Mourinho's ability to translate documentary hype into on-field results at Real Madrid and McInnes's fight to steady Rangers will be closely watched by fans and pundits alike.
Based on reporting from The Guardian.