At 49, Jose Mourinho is already part of the managerial furniture in world football but the Real Madrid boss insists he wants to emulate the coaching lifespan of Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

The 70-year-old is just over a month shy of his 26th year in charge at Old Trafford but Mourinho admits he is likely to continue his own career along the same path as the Scot.

"I understand perfectly why Alex is still in the job [at the age of 70] and I think I will be the same," Mourinho said.

"I love football so much, I love coaching so much. I will still be very young when I become 50 and I believe I have a lot in front of me.

"Fifty is a number with a certain impact - it's a number I believe sometimes has a psychologically negative impact on many people because they realise the world spins very, very fast and our lives are very, very short.

"It's a number that makes me think and look back but also look forward too. I'm such a happy person because what I have done so far I think is amazing."

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