José Mourinho has revealed he came within "hours" of taking the England manager's job before the appointment of Fabio Capello.

The Real Madrid coach said he would have been Steve McClaren's successor in 2007 had it not been for a last-minute change of heart. Mourinho, who had left Chelsea two months before McClaren was sacked by England, decided late in the day he wanted to remain in club management.

The Portuguese said in an interview with the French sports daily L'Equipe: "I was hours away – I almost signed up for the England national team. But at the last minute I began thinking, 'I am going to coach a national side, there will be one match a month and the rest of the time I will be in my office or overseeing matches.'

"And then to have to wait until the summer to compete in a European Championship or a World Cup? No, it wasn't for me. So at the last moment I pulled back, preferring to wait for the right job to come along, a good club, a challenge that could motivate me. That was Inter."

Mourinho was out of the game for nine months before being appointed Internazionale coach in June 2008, leaving them for Madrid last summer.

"When I left Chelsea, the first month was fantastic. I went to Africa, to Japan, I did tons of things I had not been able to do," he said. "The second month was also good, but from the third onwards it was horrible, just awful."

Mourinho admitted he also came close to taking the Paris Saint-Germain job after leaving Stamford Bridge, but decided against it as he was not convinced by Ligue 1's quality.

Asked why he did not take the PSG post, he said: "I do not know. Perhaps because of the feeling that England, Spain or Italy are more powerful leagues, and we must make the most of the best years of our career by working at the highest level."

The Football Association was quick to respond to Mourinho's comments. "Fabio was our first choice for England manager," a spokesman said. "We have made that clear from the outset."