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Before José Mourinho made his return to the Bernabéu, he reportedly had a tempting offer to take charge of the Portugal national side.
The Seleção das Quinas began searching for a new head coach well before their disappointing round of 16 exit at the 2026 World Cup. Roberto Martínez's tenure was drawing to a close, and Portugal was keen to put a succession plan in place.
AS reports that Portugal "initially" had Mourinho in their sights for the role. The 63-year-old, then managing Benfica, held discussions with the Portuguese Football Federation, exploring a potential agreement and the terms of the appointment.
Around that same period, however, Real Madrid came calling. The 15-time European champions were in need of a commanding personality and a seasoned winner to revive a squad that had gone two campaigns without lifting a major trophy.
Mourinho accepted the club's offer, returning to the role he had occupied 13 years earlier. Portugal "understood the situation" and turned to Jorge Jesus, who signed a four-year contract with the national team following his departure from Al Nassr.
Portugal's 'Second Choice' Off to a Fine Start
Jesus may not have been Portugal's first-choice successor to Martínez, but he has hit the ground running. He guided the team to back-to-back victories in his opening two matches, with the European side beating Wales and Norway to launch their UEFA Nations League title defense.
It may not seem like a monumental achievement, but other newly appointed managers on the international stage have struggled to find similar form. Germany has yet to register a win under Jürgen Klopp, while the Netherlands managed just four points from their opening two fixtures under Xavi.
Perhaps even more striking than Jesus's early results are his team selections. The 72-year-old boldly kept Ronaldo on the bench during the team's 2–1 victory over Norway on Sunday, despite previously assuring both the media and the player himself that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner would feature in some capacity.
The call came on the back of a series of underwhelming performances from the Portugal captain, who admitted he had contemplated retirement after a disappointing World Cup campaign. Ronaldo appeared visibly displeased with the manager when the final whistle blew at the weekend, hinting at potential tensions on the horizon.
Portugal returns to action on Thursday, Oct. 1 against Denmark before facing Norway once more on Sunday, Oct. 4.
Mourinho Not Finding the Same Success
While Jesus enjoys a promising start to his new chapter, Mourinho finds himself under pressure just one month into the season. The "Special One" was brought in to restore Real Madrid's winning culture, yet the Spanish giants already trail Barcelona by six points in the La Liga table.
Los Blancos suffered a stunning defeat to Real Betis and then a contentious loss to Atlético Madrid just before domestic football took a three-week break. They also required late heroics from Carlos Espí to scrape wins against Espanyol and Elche.
The underwhelming run of results has already placed Mourinho in a somewhat vulnerable position. The same issues that plagued the club over the previous two seasons remain very much alive at Real Madrid, and six new additions to the squad have done little to address them.
Mourinho could quickly restore fan confidence with a Clásico win on Oct. 25. However, anything short of three points against Barcelona could have the Portuguese coach looking nervously over his shoulder far sooner than he had envisioned.
Taking on the Portugal job would have brought considerably less scrutiny, pressure, and margin for error. Only time will tell whether Mourinho comes to regret choosing Real Madrid over his national side.