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Jose Mourinho's worst nightmare is over as he has been sacked as manager of Manchester United, after leading the club for two and a half years. The Portuguese manager was at odds with the board, players, as well as the fans, as United slumped to sixth in the table, and 19 points behind arch-rivals and leaders, Liverpool.
The embarrassing defeat against Liverpool - where Mourinho's team were outplayed by Jurgen Klopp's exciting brand of football, proved to be the final nail in the coffin of Mourinho at Manchester United.
In his two and a half years at the club, Mourinho delivered the League Cup, Community Shield, and the Europa League, but was roundly criticised for his style of play, player unrest, and his battle with the United hierarchy over player signings, or the lack of it.
Mourinho has been lambasted by pundits, former players, and fans by the way he has conducted himself in press conferences and interviews, and many have said that his stock in the managerial world has plummeted.
But, it is too early and naive to write off the Portuguese manager who has won the Champions League twice. Here, we look at the 5 possible destinations for Jose Mourinho after being sacked by Manchester United:
#5 Paris Saint-Germain
Paris Saint-Germain have dominated France's Ligue 1, winning 5 of the last 6 league titles, while also winning the last four editions of the French Cup and the French League Cup.
The French champions have complete control over domestic competitions in France, and it seems like any manager can help the team waltz to the title after title, thanks to the world-class squad, as well as the riches of the owners who add quality players in almost every transfer window.
But the big prize that has eluded the Parisian side is the Champions League, having not progressed past the quarter-finals stage of the Champions League in the last decade. The came closest to progressing to the final four of the Champions League in the 2016-17 season, but squandered a 4-0 lead from the first leg against Barcelona, losing 6-5 on aggregate.
This is where an experienced and astute tactician like Jose Mourinho could take PSG all the way in Europe's elite competition. While some may dismiss him as defensive, a front three of Cavani, Neymar, and Mbappe can blow away oppositions even if they are set up defensively.
Thomas Tuchel is doing a great job as the coach of PSG, but if he doesn't deliver the Champions League in the next two years, the club's board will want to bring in an experienced manager, who has won the Champions League previously, to guide them to the title that has eluded them.
#4 Real Madrid
Mourinho hasn't covered himself in glory at the end of his tenure at any club, inevitably falling out with his board, players, fans, or all of them.
This happened to Real Madrid as well, where the players had turned on him after the Portuguese manager had dropped several key and influential players. But Mourinho did destroy Barcelona's dominance in Spain when he won the league title in 2011-12, when the Catalan club was at the peak of its powers.
With Real Madrid struggling to find a top coach to steady the ship at Madrid, and help Los Blancos win another league title. The odds of Mourinho returning to the Bernabéu is small, but we've seen Madrid hire worse managers in the past, in their revolving managerial door.
The Portuguese will bring strong leadership qualities that can help unite the egos in the dressing room, like he did with Inter Milan and his first stint at Chelsea, but can also turn on the players like he did in his first Madrid stint and more recently with Manchester United.
#3 Chinese Super League side
One league that can afford the astronomical wages of Jose Mourinho is the Chinese Super League, with the likes of André Villas-Boas, Luiz Felipe Scolari, Fabio Capello, Manuel Pellegrini, and Bernd Schuster, to name a few, managing teams in the cash-rich Chinese Super League.
If Mourinho is swayed by money, several Chinese clubs will be lining up to sign the charismatic Portuguese manager.
It will be a huge step down from the levels of European football and Manchester United, but the league could possibly, at present, be the only ones that will want to gamble on signing Mourinho.
The league does have plenty of quality players from Europe and South America, but the overall standard of the league is not at the level of most European leagues. A switch to a Chinese Super League side may also impact a future move to one of the big clubs in Europe.
#2 Inter Milan
One of the most likely clubs that Jose Mourinho can move to is Inter Milan, a side that he managed for two seasons, with great success. Mourinho won two league titles with Inter in his two seasons with the club, the Coppa Italia, as well as the Champions League, in his final match as the manager of the club.
Unlike his departures from other clubs (barring Porto), Mourinho left Inter on good terms as he made the switch to Real Madrid. The Inter fans adored him as he helped Inter win two league titles, which are also the last league titles won by the club.
Following Mourinho's exit from the Italian club, Inter have slowly declined, despite money invested in the squad by the club's Chinese owners. The club have a talented squad, led by captain and striker Mauro Icardi, and under Mourinho's guidance, could challenge Juventus for the league title.
#1 Portugal national team
Jose Mourinho has often said that he will one day manage the Portugal national team and that it would be his last job in management. The daily stresses of managing a club side, that too those that are constantly scrutinised, has possibly taken a toll on Mourinho, and he may want to step away from football for a while.
National team management is not nearly as stressful as managing a club side, which could be a great way for Mourinho to fall in love with football and coaching once again. The current Portuguese national side is probably the most talented side in years, led by Cristiano Ronaldo.
With the European championships in two years time, the defending European champions could stand a good chance of retaining their title with the former Chelsea and Real Madrid manager at the helm of affairs.
