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José Mourinho reveals he signed contract to succeed Alex Ferguson at Manchester United in 2013

The Guardian UK Sunday 09 August 2026, 23:24 UTC By PA Media 1 min read
Key Points

Mourinho says he reneged on deal to return to ChelseaFerguson confirms story in new Netflix documentaryJosé Mourinho has revealed he signed a contract to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson as Manchester United manager in 2013 only to tearfully renege on the deal and return to Chelsea. The football world was rocked when the Scottish great announced he was retiring having overseen a 13th Premier League title triumph win during a spell of unrivalled dominance at Old Trafford.

  • Mourinho says he reneged on deal to return to Chelsea

  • Ferguson confirms story in new Netflix documentary

José Mourinho has revealed he signed a contract to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson as Manchester United manager in 2013 only to tearfully renege on the deal and return to Chelsea.

The football world was rocked when the Scottish great announced he was retiring having overseen a 13th Premier League title triumph win during a spell of unrivalled dominance at Old Trafford.

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José Mourinho (PERSON) Alex Ferguson (PERSON) Manchester United (LOCATION) Mourinho (ORG) ChelseaFerguson (ORG) Netflix (ORG) Chelsea (ORG) Scottish (ORG) Premier League (ORG) Old Trafford (ORG)
Originally published by The Guardian UK Read original →

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