Real Madrid CF: Who Will Replace Jose Mourinho?

Culture

To the surprise of nobody who follows the inner workings of the world’s game, Jose Mourinho will be leaving Real Madrid at the end of this season. Real Madrid President Fiorentino Perez finally made the news official in the guise of a boiler-plate press release, which rather coldly “commended Jose for his had work.” Tensions have been rising around the Portuguese manager for the a multitude of issues, like the tactical disagreements he allegedly had with players, and internal hoopla with Madrid’s board of directors. At the top of the list is the disappointing intake of silverware; with just three trophies in three years in Madrid, and no tenth Champions League title — “La Decima,” as it is know — the future of the manager known as “The Special One” was written on the wall, in Chelsea Blue.

The Madristas will now pull out their utterly massive, white-on-white pocket book and make offers to the world’s greatest to helm their star-studded team into 2014 and beyond. Sources confirmed that another former Chelsea manager, Carlo Ancelotti, is asking to leave his current job to replace Mourinho at Bernabeu. However, Ancelotti’s current club, Paris Saint Germain, has refused the move, and wants to carry out the remaining year in his contract.

PSG will face a conflict if they force their manager to stay against his wish, but still, let’s say Ancelotti suddenly decides he can’t live without his current club's Racist hooligans, or baguettes, for that matter. Let the wild speculation on the next Madrid manager begin! Could Borussia Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp be the next in line? Perhaps not, it seems he is more inclined to take a job on TV then in La Liga. Maybe Fabio Cappello will put down his wine glass, and leave the opera for a shot at Madristas? Then again, the former England manager is more likely to replace Ancelotti at PSG when/if Ancelotti leaves to replace Mourinho, which leaves us back where we started.

Maybe Manchester United legend Alex Ferguson, you say? Don’t be silly, dear reader. The septogenarian just retired after spending 26 years at ManU. That type of long-term residence just does not breed interest in any club that cleans out its front office on a regular basis, no matter how many truckloads of euros they dump on you.

Odds are, PSG owner Nasser al-Khelaifi will acquiesce to the pressure from fans and Ancelotti, and let the Italian say caio to Paris. However, for the politically bemused, a bit of an awkward struggle in the papers might replace the joys of wondering randomly who might take on one of European Football’s most esteemed jobs.