When Bayern Munich executive chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge was tasked with replacing Jupp Heynckes last year, Jose Mourinho was not someone he considered.
“I believe Mourinho is a very good coach,” Rummenigge told the Daily Mail.
“But I am not convinced he would be the right fit for Bayern. There are many good coaches.”
With his contract at Real Madrid set to end, Mourinho was available for consideration to take over at Bayern. But for Rummenigge and his cohorts the decision to move for Pep Guardiola was easy. “We could maybe name 20 or 30, but we were all unanimous that we should go for Pep.”
Rummenigge continued: “This was a unique chance to get the best and most popular coach in the world and we could not miss this chance.”
Clearly, Rummenigge is happy with his decision to hire Guardiola. And for a club that prefers to put business before the limelight, it appears the Spaniard was the correct hire.
Whether Guardiola is better and popular than Mourinho, is difficult to say. The latter will always be up for debate while the former is an on-going battle that, if we’re lucky, could be reignited further down the Champions League road.
For Bayern Munich the Round of 16 begins this Wednesday with a trip to Arsenal while Chelsea’s campaign starts next Wednesday at Galatasaray.