Heynckes: Guardiola made the right choice

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  • Factbox: Departing Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho

    Factbox: Departing Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho

    Factbox: Departing Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho

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  • Mourinho to leave Real Madrid at end of season

    Mourinho to leave Real Madrid at end of season

    Mourinho to leave Real Madrid at end of season

    By Iain Rogers MADRID (Reuters) - Jose Mourinho will leave Real Madrid at the end of the season after coming to a mutual agreement with the Spanish club three years before the end of his contract, president Florentino Perez said on Monday. The Portuguese's imminent departure will add fuel to widespread expectation he is poised to return to former club Chelsea, while Perez confirmed Real had approached Paris St Germain to ask about the availability of Carlo Ancelotti. ...

  • Analysis: Real juggernaut in need of repair post Mourinho

    Analysis: Real juggernaut in need of repair post Mourinho

    Analysis: Real juggernaut in need of repair post Mourinho

    By Iain Rogers MADRID (Reuters) - Florentino Perez's decision to hire Jose Mourinho to coach his beloved Real Madrid in 2010 was the fruit of the construction magnate's obsession with winning the 10th European crown that has eluded the club since 2002. The bespectacled 66-year-old, who has splurged more than 400 million euros of the club's money on players since returning to the presidency in 2009, was also desperate to end the domestic and European domination of Real's bitter rivals Barcelona.

  • Mourinho to leave Real at end of the season

    Mourinho to leave Real at end of the season

    Mourinho to leave Real at end of the season

    Jose Mourinho will leave Real Madrid at the end of the season after a turbulent three-year spell in charge of the Spanish giants, club president Florentino Perez confirmed Monday.

  • Real juggernaut in need of repair post Mourinho

    Real juggernaut in need of repair post Mourinho

    Real juggernaut in need of repair post Mourinho

    By Iain Rogers MADRID (Reuters) - Florentino Perez's decision to hire Jose Mourinho to coach his beloved Real Madrid in 2010 was the fruit of the construction magnate's obsession with winning the 10th European crown that has eluded the club since 2002. The bespectacled 66-year-old, who has splurged more than 400 million euros ($514 million) of the club's money on players since returning to the presidency in 2009, was also desperate to end the domestic and European domination of Real's bitter

  • City midfielder Rodwell called into England squad

    City midfielder Rodwell called into England squad

    City midfielder Rodwell called into England squad

    LONDON (Reuters) - Manchester City midfielder Jack Rodwell was called up to the England squad on Monday for their friendlies against Ireland and Brazil despite playing in only 11 league games all season. Rodwell, who scored twice in his club's final day 3-2 defeat to Norwich City on Sunday, missed large chunks of the campaign through injury. He has been selected as cover for Manchester United midfielder Tom Cleverley, who picked up a knock in their 5-5 draw with West Bromwich Albion in their

Jupp Heynckes has revealed he is pleased a "smart man" like Pep Guardiola is going to replace him at Bayern Munich.

Guardiola, formerly of Barcelona, signed a three-year deal with the Bundesliga leaders on Wednesday which will see him takeover at the club in the summer.

And Heynckes, who will be retiring at the end of the current campaign to make way for the Spaniard, believes they could not have found a more suitable candidate for the job.

"[I'm being succeeded] by a younger coach who has been very successful. I think it's good. My successor is a smart man. He has analysed the top European teams and has recognised that Bayern will be the team with whom he can have the most success," he told reporters.

"I'll be 68 in the summer, that's already past retirement age. If everyone worked until that age they'd have a nice pension saved. It was clear to me in the summer that I basically wanted to stop."

When asked about the possibility of managing in England, the former Germany international echoed similar thoughts to that of Guardiola who snubbed the Premier League to go to Bayern.

He added: "As a coach I would not go to England either if I didn't know how things would look like in four months’ time or if I don't know how the owner will react."

Heynckes' side are currently top of the Bundesliga, nine points ahead of second-placed Bayer Leverkusen and face Arsenal in the last 16 of the Champions League.

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