Saudi Arabia offers Mourinho a record contract
According to Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport, top officials of Saudi football have directly sent this request to Mourinho. If accepted, "Special One" will become the highest paid coach in the world.
The offer from Saudi Arabia gave Mourinho two options to choose from. The first is to lead the Saudi Arabia national team. The Portuguese coach has the right to actively terminate the contract after the first year and receive $ 65 million. If he continues to stick with Saudi Arabia, Mourinho will have to extend his contract until the end of the 2026 World Cup. This clause helps Saudi Arabia not be passive in the preparation plan for the tournament co-organized in Canada, Mexico and the US.
At the 2022 World Cup, Saudi Arabia under coach Herve Renard shocked the world when they defeated Argentina 2-1 in the opening leg. After the tournament, the French coach broke up with Saudi Arabia to take on a coaching job at the French women's team.
The second option for Mourinho is to work at the club level, and accordingly, he can choose Al Nassr or Al Ahil - the two most potential teams in the Saudi League.
In December 2022, Al Nassr recruited Cristiano Ronaldo on a free basis with a contract until June 2025. The Portuguese striker earns the highest salary in the world 200 million USD per year if you include sponsorships and advertising.
Meanwhile, Al Hilal has just sent a $440 million season salary offer to Lionel Messi, which is double Ronaldo's income. Al Hilal is the reigning champion and most successful Saudi League with 18 crowns. In Asia, they also hold the record of winning four AFC Champions League titles. In the Saudi League, Al Hilal is currently third with eight points less than Al Ittihad's top, while Al Nassr is second.
According to Football Italy, Mourinho discussed this offer of $ 135 million with the staff and received many comments. The internal debate is raging, with some saying that such an unbelievable offer and salary is an opportunity not to be missed. However, Mourinho wants to stay at Roma and is waiting to meet with Roma president Dan Friedkin to discuss the club's goals and ambitions before making any decisions.
The "special person" leads Roma from the summer of 2021 and has a contract until June 2024. In the first season, Mourinho helped Roma become the first champion of the Europa Conference League, thereby quenching the thirst for titles after 14 years, since the 2007-2008 Italian Cup. This season, Roma are fifth in Serie A with 50 points, equal to Inter and will meet Feyenoord in the quarter-finals of the Europa League.
