KHR admits Bayern Munich rejected Jose Mourinho in the recent past

In an interview with Italian TV broadcaster RAI, former Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge revealed that Jose Mourinho was once considered a coaching option for the club. Bayern, who tend to value success above all, probably saw a proven Champions League manager as an enticing prospect at the time.

“A few years ago,” said Rummenige (via Football Italia), “Mourinho wanted to come to Germany to work at Bayern, but we felt he wasn’t the right man for the club.”

While the former executive doesn’t specify the time period in which Mourinho was considered, it likely would’ve been in the aftermath of either Carlo Ancelotti or Niko Kovac’s sackings. In 2017/18, the Portuguese coach was employed by English giants Manchester United, while in 2019/20 he was appointed as coach of Tottenham Hotspur in place of the sacked Mauricio Pochettino. Funnily enough, Bayern’s thumping defeat of Spurs that year probably catalyzed Poch’s sacking.

It’s likely that this is when Jose Mourinho was seriously considered by the Bayern bosses, as he was a free agent at the time and there was no Jupp Heynckes fallback option for the club. Bayern eventually opted for Hansi Flick instead, which worked out brilliantly in hindsight. Mourinho even faced off against Flick’s Bayern that year, with his Spurs side losing 3-1 to a B-team.

“Personally, he always made a good impression on me,” said KHR. “I hope that he can find success at Roma, because he needs to win on a daily basis.”

Mourinho currently coaches AS Roma back in Italy, where he has seen some mixed results so far. He remains a controversial figure for his training style and brash attitude. Bayern probably made the right decision by not hiring him at the time, given that he tends to leave a toxic atmosphere at almost every club he coaches. Real Madrid, Chelsea FC, Manchester United, Spurs ... you name it.

It’s unlikely that any Bayern fan regrets missing out on the current version of Jose Mourinho. In Nagelsmann, Bayern Munich have a young and modern coach, which is exactly what the players need right now.