"I don't want to change. It's too late": What is Mourinho really like?

Beware, spoilers! Is Jose Mourinho still a "showman"? That definition has haunted him for the last decade, a period in which the once-continuous flow of trophies has turned into more of a thin trickle. He is mentioned every time Mourinho does something weird, daring, downright funny or just something in his style that reminds us of the coach we once knew. However, most often such episodes do not really reach the status of an outstanding event. If someone else did this, it would most likely be dismissed as a minor oddity. However, it's hard to deny that Mourinho still attracts huge interest, even though his influence seems to be fading. He has not won a championship title for 11 years, and a trophy of any kind for four. But attention to his person has not disappeared anywhere: from comments on the Internet and journalism to documentary films and even the office of the president of Real Madrid. Perhaps the answer to the question of whether Mourinho remains a "show man" has already been given by his reappearance as Real's head coach this summer - 13 years after the end of his first spell at the Madrid club. But now this statement can be tested again - literally. It is about the new documentary series "Mourinho". It consists of three parts, and the most interesting and piquant moments were left for the third. Speaking about the end of his first three-year spell at Real Madrid, Mourinho pauses, casts a telling glance and says: "In 2013, I moved to Chelsea, but something happened during that period that no one knows about. I think I can tell it without hurting anyone with the truth. I think the purpose of our work is to tell the truth." He then reveals that he agreed to take over at Manchester United in the summer of 2013 following the resignation of Sir Alex Ferguson. However, in the end, the club management preferred David Moyes from Everton. According to Mourinho, he himself changed his mind and decided to return to Chelsea for a second period at the London club, because "after Real I needed to feel love." At first it seems that he just adds to the drama of the story. But then Ferguson appears in the frame and seems to confirm her. He says that Mourinho received an offer and agreed to lead United, but later changed his mind. According to Ferguson, the Portuguese called him with tears in his eyes and said he had changed his mind. This will be the main discovery of "Mourinho". And deservedly so: the information is new and appears to contradict the generally accepted version of the story of Mourinho's numerous contacts with United that ultimately culminated in his appointment in 2016. But this is far from the most interesting thing in the three-part project. Mourinho first began meeting with the makers of a documentary to be dedicated to him in 2022, when he was in charge of Roma in Italy. "I think he was ready to try to put everything in its place," says the film's director Perlman. "It was as if he wanted to say to everyone: 'I am Jose Mourinho. Do you remember what I did? That's what's next in my plans." That's how I saw him when we met. It changed over the years, but then it seemed like he had an open score with someone." This is also felt in the series. In particular, in a certain bitterness of Mourinho due to dismissal from Chelsea - twice. There are also a few jabs at people who underestimated him early in his career when he was in Barcelona's coaching staff. And what can be called a "thinly veiled" attack on one of his former rivals, Pep Guardiola. "Don't talk to me about vacations," says Mourinho. "For me, vacation means weakness." However, in the documentary there are many and quite expected things - exactly what you want to see in a project of this format. There are people from his past - John Terry, Frank Lampard, Iker Casillas and most of Mourinho's former assistants. They tell stories, the general plot of which is already familiar to you. There are shots from the most successful years of his career. There are also some great stories, such as Mourinho's first spell at Chelsea when he was asked to travel to Sardinia to coach Roman Abramovich's yacht crew. But the really interesting - and perhaps the most important - part of the whole project is how the film shows Mourinho's vulnerability. His tears on the phone with Ferguson are just one example. We've seen Mourinho cry before, although it was usually after victories. For example, in 2010, when Inter won the treble under his leadership. Then the Portuguese left the celebration early, explaining it by the fact that he did not