Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has revealed that he was close to becoming England manager back in 2007.
The Portuguese coach has claimed that members of the squad urged him to take the job, but his wife Matilde eventually talked him out of it.
Mourinho was offered the position seven years ago after Steve McClaren was sacked following his failure to guide England to the European Championships.
When asked how close he was to accepting the position, Mourinho, who was speaking as a Yahoo World Cup ambassador, mimicked signing on the dotted line and said: "This close.
"I don't regret not taking it, it was the right decision - my wife was right. I cannot wait two years for a big competition. I can't spend two years playing against Kazakhstan and San Marino.
"In the end, my wife was saying, 'No football, no matches - it's not for you'. And she was right."
Mourinho joined Inter Milan the following year.
Danielle Joynson
