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Jose Mourinho, the candidate to succeed Santos in Portugal

Jose Mourinho tops the list of names being considered in Portugal to succeed Fernando Santos as national coach, a position that the current Roma coach has expressed interest in on several occasions.

Santos, 68, left “Alkinas” this Thursday, after eight years in which he won the European Cup in France in 2016 and the Nations League in 2019, which is the first absolute title for Portugal.

His successor is now the subject of much speculation in the country, where the most talked about names in the local press are Mourinho and Rui Jorge, the current coach of the Portuguese under-21 team. Leonardo Jardim, French champion with Monaco and currently in Al-Ahly Saudi Arabia, Abel Ferreira, in Brazilian Palmeiras, or Bruno Lagi, without a club after leaving Wolverhampton, England, other names were mentioned.

But the frontrunner who currently occupies the most space in the Portuguese media is Jose Mourinho.

With Roma on contract until 2024, many possibilities are being considered. One would be to take over both positions at the same time, something the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) had already suggested when Mourinho was coaching Real Madrid.

The Portuguese coach came to agree, but the white president, Florentino Pérez, did not authorize it. On reflection, Mourinho himself admitted in a 2014 interview that “it wouldn’t be possible” and that it was “not ethical”.

Another scenario raised by the Portuguese press is that Rui Jorge will take charge of the team on a temporary basis until Mourinho finishes the season at the Italian club and then negotiates with the Romanian club.