Can you imagine Jose Mourinho at FC Barcelona? An insider has now revealed that this almost happened in 2008, when the club decided to choose Pep Guardiola over the Portuguese as their next manager.
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Former Blaugrana vice-president Ferran Soriano, who is now the chief executive officer at Manchester City, has explaineded that the rival coaches were the two final choices to replace Frank Rijkaard in 2008.
"Both had great virtues and they seemed to be at opposite ends of an imaginary scale," Soriano wrote in his new book Goal: The ball doesn't go into the net by chance: Management ideas from the world of football.
"At the one end we had an experienced coach, who was successful, with a strong personality, and a controversial reputation.
"At the other end was a very talented person, who was totally familiar with the club, but without significant experience as a coach."
Soriano further explained how Barcelona's bosses drew up a nine-point plan to determine their future boss, and how Mourinho didn't meet the criteria for point six, which read as follows: "The coach is one of the club's permanent, weekly representatives. He must act cautiously at all times. Respect opponents, referees and other institutions in general – fair play. He must not abuse the media or create false controversy, but focus on the relevant aspects of the game and how the team is doing."
"The Portuguese coach's method generated media conflict almost permanently, and it was also a potential source of conflict within the club," Soriano added.
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In the end, Guardiola was promoted from the second team, and the Spaniard went on to win 14 trophies – including two UEFA Champions League titles – in four years with the Catalan giants.
Do you think Barca would have been as successful as they were under Guardiola if they had chosen Mourinho as their coach after Rijkaard? Have your say in the comments section below.
