Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho claimed that he already received a coaching offer from a Chinese Super League club. His decision to turn it down means he prefers football over money, as he himself has insinuated.
The self-styled "Special One," whose trophy cabinet is full of honors from every club he coached in his managing career, understands the threat posed by Chinese clubs' newfound financial muscle.
He, however, maintains that he respects anyone who chooses to take their talents to the Far East.
Both ex-top flight managers Sven Goran-Eriksson and Luiz Felipe Scolari are now plying their trade in China, earning handsome amounts of wages in a relatively somber professional league, the Daily Mail reported. Mourinho, however, won't count himself in with them just yet.
Mourinho's flat-out refusal of the unnamed offer indicates that he doesn't intend to depart from the highest level anytime soon. But on speaking out about his fellow managers' worries over China's shadow in the transfer market, he empathizes on their difficulties to keep hold of their players.
Salary negotiations have been key to retaining players in football, largely because it merits their importance in their respective sides. But with Chinese clubs thrashing about as if exorbitant fees are merely spare change, managers are left with letting their players choose from either football or money as a recourse.
In a rather condescending manner, Mourinho exclaimed that those who go for China's mega sums should be left to deal with their own lives that to face criticisms over the implications of their choices. But that didn't go on without casting major shade on those who have made the switch to Chinese football.
The likes of Oscar, Axel Witsel, and Jackson Martinez--all at their peak of age--departed European football for hefty sums offered by Chinese clubs. But for Mourinho, that is a non-issue; a player's decision to go to China, regardless of their age, is a choice the player makes for himself.