JOSE MOURINHO’S biggest rivals are conspicuous by their absence from his new Netflix documentary.
The three-part series about the former Chelsea and Real Madrid boss has already got football fans talking, with Mourinho revealing a number of fascinating stories from his remarkable career.
Jose Mourinho’s Netflix documentary is out but you’ll not find some big names for one reason or another Credit: YouTube / Netflix
Pep Guardiola was happy to feature but only on one condition but that condition was not met Credit: Times Newspapers Ltd
One of the biggest revelations is that Mourinho was lined up to replace Sir Alex Ferguson as Manchester United manager before ultimately deciding against it and returning to Chelsea.
The documentary features a host of Mourinho favourites, including John Terry and Frank Lampard as well as the man he was once expected to succeed, Ferguson.
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There is even a surprise appearance from Iker Casillas, despite the former Real Madrid goalkeeper being strongly against Mourinho returning to the Spanish giants this summer.
Casillas lost his place as Real Madrid’s No.1 during Mourinho’s reign, with the Portuguese coach hinting that the goalkeeper was leaking dressing-room information to the media.
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Their relationship deteriorated, with Casillas’ close friendships with Barcelona players such as Gerard Pique becoming another source of tension.
The fierce rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona only added to the drama.
But despite their history, Casillas features in the documentary and is given the chance to tell his side of the story.
So why are some of Mourinho’s biggest rivals missing?
Pep Guardiola
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Jose and Pep lived in Manchester and their rivalry continued from their LaLiga days Credit: Times Newspapers Ltd
Perhaps the most surprising omission is Pep Guardiola.
The pair famously developed one of football’s fiercest managerial rivalries during their time in charge of Barcelona and Real Madrid.
But their relationship goes back much further, with Guardiola and Mourinho having worked together at Barcelona.
They later found themselves on opposite sides of Manchester, with Mourinho managing United and Guardiola in charge of City.
Given their history, Guardiola would have been an obvious choice for the documentary.
And JattvibeSport has been told that he was approached.
Guardiola was reportedly open to taking part and sharing his experiences of going head-to-head with Mourinho.
But there was one major condition.
Director Joe Pearlman – the multi-Emmy, Bafta, and Grammy-nominated British documentary maker – told The Jattvibe: “Yes, we did reach out to Pep, who agreed to do an interview but it was on the condition that Jose reached out to him in person.
“You can imagine how that went down.”
Jose’s first big boss in England, Roman Abramovich also did not feature in the documentary Credit: AFP
Mourinho for a large part always held a good relation with Roman Abramovich Credit: PA:Press Association
Roman Abramovich
Another major absentee is former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich.
Mourinho first came to widespread English attention when he famously celebrated by running down the Old Trafford touchline after Porto knocked Manchester United out of the Champions League.
That performance is widely regarded as one of the moments that convinced Abramovich he wanted the feisty Portuguese at Chelsea.
Mourinho would go on to become one of the most successful managers in the club’s history, winning two Premier League titles during his first spell at Stamford Bridge.
Yet Abramovich does not feature in the documentary.
JattvibeSport asked Pearlman why they did not pursue an interview with the former Chelsea owner.
He said: “Mr Abramovich has a lot of interviews he should probably do before he talks about his tenure at Chelsea, so no, it wasn’t something we pursued, especially as Peter Kenyon gives the exact same account.”
Arsene Wenger and Mourinho also never got along Credit: Getty
For a long time the two always had to be separated on the touchline Credit: AFP or licensors
Arsene Wenger
Then there is Arsene Wenger.
The Frenchman and Mourinho had one of the most entertaining managerial feuds in Premier League history.
Their rivalry produced plenty of memorable moments, with Mourinho famously branding Wenger a “specialist in failure”.
So why was Wenger not interviewed?
Pearlman admits the documentary makers simply did not pursue him.
He said: “Wenger says it all in the press conferences, but the honest truth is that we just did not bother reaching out to him.”
While Mourinho’s career has provided plenty of drama, it seems some of the biggest names from his story were either unwilling or simply not approached for the final cut.
