‘Frequently’—How Close Mauricio Pochettino Came to Beating Jose Mourinho to Real Madrid Job

Pochettino’s contract with the USMNT is up at the end of this World Cup cycle.

Mauricio Pochettino (left) was linked with Real Madrid before José Mourinho’s arrival was confirmed. | John Dorton/USSF/Gualter Fatia/Getty Images

U.S. national team manager Mauricio Pochettino was “frequently mentioned” in discussions by Real Madrid before the Spanish giants landed on José Mourinho as their new coach, a report has claimed.

Pochettino, who has La Liga experience as a player and manager for Espanyol, was linked with Madrid even before the prospect of Mourinho’s spectacular return emerged as more than Florentino Pérez’s fantasy. The Argentine coach did little to downplay the rumors when confronted with the subject in March.

“I always maintain a very good relationship with almost all clubs, not just with Madrid,” he coyly replied.

It has been claimed that those whispers had some substance to them, with Pochettino one of the alternatives to Mourinho under consideration at the Bernabéu, per The Athletic. The 54-year-old warranted multiple rounds of debate, but the report claims that no negotiations directly between the USMNT manager and Real Madrid ever took place.

---

Real Madrid’s Managerial Shortlist—Report

Didier Deschamps’s France is joining in on the pricing controversy of the 2026 World Cup. | Catherine Steenkeste/Getty Images

Internal discussions without any direct contact was as far as the pursuit for Jürgen Klopp ever got—although, unlike Pochettino, the German boss did his best to publicly quash speculation surrounding any potential Spanish sojourn.

Pochettino’s fellow World Cup manager Didier Deschamps was another name thought to be under consideration at Real Madrid this summer, while a “tentative” approach was supposedly made to Argentina’s Lionel Scaloni.

The waning sporting director Santiago Solari was the driving force behind the brief push for Scaloni, who at least got further in the process than Unai Emery. Aston Villa’s Europa League-winning manager reportedly didn’t inspire any confidence from club president Pérez,

---

Will Mauricio Pochettino Stay With the USMNT After the World Cup?

Mauricio Pochettino’s USMNT has several lingering questions heading into the World Cup. | Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Pochettino’s contract is up after this summer’s World Cup and the prevailing expectation was that there would be no extension regardless of the USMNT’s performance on home turf. That was until the Argentine surprised everyone in March by opening up the prospect of another major tournament cycle.

“We are open,” the coach claimed. “We don’t have [a] contract for the future,, but why not if we are happy and the federation is happy?”

The former Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea boss was also happy enough to have a sit down with AC Milan a matter of weeks before the tournament kicked off to discuss the prospect of taking over at San Siro. Pochettino stumbled around his explanation for this meeting, but the U.S. Soccer Federation swiftly shut down the speculation.

U.S. Soccer chief executive JT Batson even went so far as to float the prospect of an extension himself.

There are a myriad of options for Pochettino to consider this summer—but Real Madrid is no longer one of them.

---