A report in Marca claims Real Madrid boss José Mourinho turned down an offer to coach Anzhi Makhachkala which would have made him the highest earner in football history.
Anzhi owner Suleyman Kerimov - a businessman and investor who according to Forbes magazine occupies No 118 in a list of the world´s richest people, with an empire worth around $20 billion - is thought to have offered the Portuguese a mind-blowing €25m-a-season after tax as he seeks to turn his club into one of the powerhouses of European football.
The approach from the cash-rich Russians is said to have taken place before the end of last season, during February and March, when Mourinho’s future was still unclear at the Santiago Bernabéu. The Portuguese had been involved in a series of disagreements with former general manager Jorge Valdano but since then has been made head of football operations, the Argentine losing his job in May in a move designed to suit the more English-style structure of management Mourinho prefers.
Kerimov, 45, purchased Anzhi - which was only founded in 1991 - in January, 2011, although it later emerged that Dagestan President, Magomedsalam Magomedov had given Kerimov a 100% stake in the club (including 50% of former owner Igor Yakovlev’s shares) for a promise of financial support.
In the meantime, Kerimov has stepped up his efforts to turn the previously-modest outfit into the Manchester City of Russia with some high-profile signings. Roberto Carlos joined from Corinthians in February on a two-and-a-half year contract worth around €10 million and was made immediately made club captain, while Chelsea’s Yuri Zhirkov was snapped up in the summer for an undisclosed fee, understood to be approximately €15m. However, the €27m signing of Samuel Eto’o in mid-August from Inter Milan was one that really captured the world’s attention, the 30-year-old Cameroon international penning a three-year deal which will earn him €20m-a-year and make him the world’s highest-paid player.