Jose Mourinho reveals he once came close to joining Borussia Dortmund

Former Chelsea, Real Madrid and Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has revealed that he was once very close to securing a move to Borussia Dortmund.

Jose Mourinho is regarded as one of the best football managers of all time, and has taken charge of some of the world’s biggest clubs. The 61 year old has now revealed that he was once on the verge of making the switch to Borussia Dortmund, and he even some learned German in the process.

During an event ahead of the Euro 2024 opener in Munich, Mourinho spoke about the time he came close to joining BVB (via Tobias Altschäffl of SportBILD). “When I was about to join Borussia Dortmund a few years ago, I learned some German,” Mourinho said. “It wasn't easy, but I gave it a go.”

It is no secret that Jose Mourinho has a good relationship with outgoing Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke. So it is certainly plausible that the Portuguese trainer was wanted by the Black and Yellows at one point. It is unclear exactly when BVB were interested in appointing Mourinho, or how advanced the talks exactly were between the two parties.

Mourinho, who praised Edin Terzic after Borussia Dortmund’s defeat to Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League final earlier this month, was recently appointed the manager of Turkish club Fenerbahce. BVB made a coaching change of their own earlier this week, with Nuri Sahin appointed the club’s new head coach after Terzic decided to step down from the job.