Jose Mourinho has received a tempting offer to take charge of Portugal’s national team but remain in charge of Roma. The news was reported simultaneously by the biggest sports media both in the Special One’s home country and in Italy.
According to “A Bola” from the Portuguese Football Federation, they have decided to part ways with their coach Fernando Santos, and this will be done by mutual consent in the coming days.
The decision is a result of the shocking elimination of the “sailors” from Morocco in the 1/4-finals of the World Cup in Qatar. The contract of the 68-year-old specialist expires after the end of Euro 2024, but the federation wants to start a new cycle.
Santos has been in charge of Portugal since September 2014, bringing the country’s first two major trophies – the European title in 2016 and the inaugural Nations League trophy in 2019.
According to the Italian “Gadzeta dello Sport” and “Corriere dello Sport”, the desire of the leaders of Portuguese football is for the new coach to be Jose Mourinho, who has a contract with Roma until 2024.
From there, they are ready to offer him to combine the two positions, which is why the Special One is interested in taking over the national team of his homeland. Another big contender for the job is Under-21 coach Rui Georges, who led them to the final of the European Under-21 Championship a year ago.
And the first thing that the new coach has to solve is the Cristiano Ronaldo case. The star’s place in the national team is in question, with the player himself hinting that he might quit.
