JOSE MOURINHO has revealed he “made a mistake” by turning down the Portuguese national team to stay at Roma.
The former Chelsea, Manchester United And Tottenham boss, 61, was fired by Roma in January after a string of poor results.
Mourinho's final weeks and months in the Italian capital had arrived littered with bizarre incidents – from calling himself “Harry Potter” to frequent red cards.
Now that the dust has settled on his time in the Eternal City, the Portuguese has admitted he should have left to take charge of his national team.
Robert Martinez landed the Portugal job in January 2023, next Fernando Santos' exit after the 2022 World Cup last month.
Mourinho discussed his regrets and told the Korean EA Sports FC YouTube channel: “It's natural that I would go for Portugal.
“I had two opportunities to go, but they didn't come at the right time for me.
“I got emotional when I didn't accept the last offer because I decided to stay at Roma and I think I made a mistake.
“Because Portugal now has a fantastic team, one of the best, in the top five.
“I knew it, but I felt a great bond with Roma, with the fans, so I didn't want to make that decision.”
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Despite his regrets, Mourinho believes it will be a matter of third time lucky and the job will arise again.
He added: “The opportunity for Portugal has come twice, but I think there will also be a third one and I will take it. I hope the generation I have will be as strong as this one.”
Last week it was claimed that the Saudi side Al-Qadsiah wants to make Mourinho their manager in anticipation of next season.
The former Roma boss has previously rejected Saudi Pro League team Al-Shabab.
Since he's been out of work, he's been racking his brains for new tactical innovations.
Last month he revealed that he believes a manager won't play with a goalkeeper one day when they try to score late in a match.
