Exclusive:Netflix’s Mourinho documentary proves boss is ‘the human one’ and why he’d flourish in Scotland amid Sir Alex's secret offer

The film director has rubbed shoulders with the planet’s biggest names thanks to his Grammy award-winning documentaries with the world’s biggest musicians. However, his latest project, ‘Mourinho’, is not only a step away from the world of pop, but a departure from the more publicly open personalities of Lewis Capaldi and Robbie Williams.

The public’s view on Mourinho is polarising. Not one to care too much about being liked, he values his success solely by the number of medals in his trophy cabinet. A two-time Champions League winner, he’s won titles in England, Spain and Italy during his illustrious managerial career. As charismatic as he is, Mourinho’s public perception is based on his success in the dugout.

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“A lot of people will come into this thinking they know who Jose Mourinho is,” explains Pearlman. “When I first met him, I had a pre-conceived idea of who he would be. The amazing thing about making a documentary and spending so much time with these people, is that you gain their trust over time, and they truly start revealing themselves.”

In many ways, it was how Mourinho introduced himself to the British public. Delivering an opening monologue in his first press conference as Chelsea manager way back in June 2004, he uttered the immortal words. “Please don’t call me arrogant. What I'm saying is true. I’m European champion, so I'm not one out of the bottle; I think I'm a special one.” Again, he was right.

That said, his talents have been questioned in recent years. Has the tactical mastermind lost his aura? The blueprint of a winner to admirers, his doubters believe he is unable to manage the egos of a modern-day footballer; his style predictable and rigid. As shown by his appointment at Real Madrid this summer though, his standing in the modern-day game remains sky high. But Pearlman’s job wasn’t to debate his merits as a manager, but to question who he is as a human, and what continues to motivate him to become ‘special’.

“What a lot of viewers are going to take from this is a version of Jose that is vulnerable, and there’s a tragedy to it,” says Pearlman. “There’s a lot of sadness underlying a lot of joy. A lot of people will say Jose is this, Jose is that. Watching this, you start to understand where a lot of that comes from. A lot from his childhood, not making it as a footballer, his Dad being a manager and him always being called ‘Mourinho’s son’. These are all chips on a man’s shoulder that means he wants to keep proving himself forever.

“Jose comes by himself, there's no PR team, no agent. He represents himself. We met him at a time just after his spell at Roma and he wanted to tell his story. A lot of people had opinions on him, and I think he was ready to say okay 'let's look back at my achievements and show the world who I really am'. We met an angry, but ready to talk, Jose.”

One of the most revealing aspects of the documentary is revelation that Sir Alex Ferguson had personally offered Mourinho the Manchester United job before his retirement. Bringing down the curtain on his near three decade spell at Old Trafford in 2013, episode three sees the Scottish boss confirm Mourinho had an agreement to become his successor, only for the move to be scuppered when Chelsea made a surprise bid to lure him back to the club. An emotional Jose eventually rejected the offer so he could return to Stamford Bridge.

“Sir Alex doesn’t give many interviews these days but he jumped at the chance of talking about Jose to us,” explains Pearlman. “If you think about Jose’s career, his win with Porto [in the Champions League] at Old Trafford, burying that Manchester United team and going on to do something great. There’s a huge story underlying all of this. I think Sir Alex saw the next generation of coach, and the future of what English football would look like early on when Jose came. He said he was the ‘Special One’ and Sir Alex said ‘go on then, prove it’.

“I think Sir Alex loves those kind of characters. It is fascinating that they are so close, and there is a mutual respect. It was an incredible opportunity for him to be offered that job, and it could have changed the trajectory of his career. But equally, he had two amazing years at Real Madrid, and one brutal year, and I don’t know if he was in a place where he could have taken on a challenge of that scale. He needed to be somewhere he could be loved. Whether he regrets it or not? You’ll have to ask him.”

A graduate of the Scottish FA's UEFA B-Licence coaching course at the Inverclyde National Sports Centre in Largs, he admitted Scotland provided “part of his formation” when he returned as manager of Fenerbahce for a crucial last-16 clash against Rangers in the Europa League last year.

Aiming to overturn a 3-1 first-leg deficit at Ibrox, his side took the game to penalties, only to be denied by a Jack Butland masterclass in the shootout. Despite the defeat, his four-day stay in Glasgow was Jose in untouchable mode. Quizzed on whether he saw himself managing at Celtic or Rangers in the future, his flirtation with the idea had everything you could want. A subtle smile, and just the right amount of tease.

He even managed to get in a brutal putdown of outgoing manager Philippe Clement. The Belgian boss had made the mistake of questioning Mourinho’s style of play, only to be sacked just days before the first leg. An expert in verbal boxing, he tore down Clement down in true contemptuous fashion. “You think I am going to comment on...what's his name?” he quipped, dancing on his grave by insisting the tie had become harder with rookie boss Barry Ferguson in charge. But was his flirtation with the Old Firm built on actual desire to manage in the Glasgow goldfish bowl, or just for the cameras?

“He told us very openly that whenever he is out of work, he will take every meeting,” says Pearlman. “Whoever approaches him, he will take that meeting. The doors are open to absolutely everyone. Do I think that he would relish an Old Firm derby? Oh my God, he would relish it. He’d probably get on the pitch and start fighting. I’m not sure which side he would prefer, but I would love to see that. It would be amazing.”

Mourinho is released on Netflix UK on August 11th, 2026, with all three episodes available from 8am. You must have a Netflix UK account to access, which can be signed up for here.