No wonder Jose Mourinho didn’t look too despondent in December when he was sacked by Manchester United: he received a £15m pay-off from the club.
The paper unearthed the figures in the club’s second-quarter financial results, in which the pay-offs were described as “exceptional items for the quarter [of] £19.6m, relating to compensation to the former manager and certain members of the coaching staff for loss of office”.
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It’s the third time in four years that United have had to fork out significant sums to get shot of unsuccessful managers. David Moyes received £5.2m in compensation when he was relieved of his duties in 2014, and two years later Louis van Gaal pocketed United £8.4m as a reward for two underwhelming years at the Old Trafford helm.
King of compensation
As The Sun points out Mourinho is becoming accustomed to cashing in on his shortcomings with Europe’s top clubs. Four times he has been sacked and on each occasion he walked away with his bank balance bulging if not the club’s trophy cabinet.
Admittedly, he brought glory to Chelsea during his first spell at the club, with the Blues winning two Premier League titles, two League Cups and the FA Cup. But when he fell out with club owner Roman Abramovich in 2007, it cost the Russian £18m to get rid of the Portuguese.
Six years later Real Madrid gave Mourinho £17m to leave after three seasons in which one La Liga title was the only notable trophy.
Mourinho banked the money and returned to Stamford Bridge after he made up with Abramovich, but the reconciliation didn’t last long and two years later he was out on his ear again, albeit with a £12.5m pay-off to cushion the blow.
Rolling in it
Next stop was Old Trafford, and although Mourinho guided United to a League Cup and Europa League double in his first season in charge, he never came close to winning a Premier League title or re-establishing the Red Devils as a major European force.
In total, says The Sun, Mourinho has banked £62.5m in pay-offs, which is “more than any of us will earn in a lifetime for being rubbish at his job”.