Mourinho: ‘I nearly joined PSG after leaving Chelsea’ | French to English translation of the day
Real Madrid manager José Mourinho has revealed that he came close to joining Ligue 1 side Paris Saint-Germain after leaving Chelsea in 2007.
In an interview with l’Equipe, the Portuguese said his concerns about the standard of football in France’s top flight were behind his decision to snub PSG in favour of Inter Milan.
“Yes, yes”, Mourinho said when asked if he had been close to a deal with the two-times French champions.
“I don’t know [why I didn’t join PSG]. Perhaps because I felt that England, Spain and Italy have stronger leagues, and that you should spend the best years of your career working where the challenge is greatest.”
Mourinho expressed surprise at PSG’s recent lack of success on the European stage, asking: “When was the last time PSG played in the Champions League? 2004?”
“It’s an unbelievable situation for a city that loves football so much and has so many immigrants, from Portugal and elsewhere”.
The double Champions League winner said he would have been happy to move his family to Paris, and stressed that he turned the opportunity down for football reasons alone.
“When I choose my clubs, my main concern is my family and finding them a nice city so that they feel happy,” he explained.
“So far we’ve lived in London, Milan and Madrid. Clearly, Paris falls under the same category. The only problem is the standard of football.”
(Quotes taken from France Football)
