Real Madrid have denied reports Jose Mourinho signed a contract with the club before leaving Inter Milan in 2010.
Now at Manchester United, the Portuguese manager led Inter to an historic Treble of titles in the 2009-10 season, winning Serie A, the Coppa Italia and the Champions League that campaign.
Mourinho assumed the reins at Real the next season, and Spanish outlet AS has reported he'd signed on to replace Manuel Pellegrini on March 31, 2010, nearly two months before Real's Champions League victory over Bayern Munich.
However, the Bernabeu club released a statement on Thursday denying a deal had been done before his contract expired.
"Following the publication in today's [Thursday] AS newspaper of information concerning the signing of Jose Mourinho as the manager of our club, Real Madrid C.F. wishes to emphasise that said information is entirely false.
"Real Madrid and Jose Mourinho did not sign any contract on the 31st of March 2010 for him to take over the role of coach, as is wrongly asserted by the aforementioned newspaper.
"This contract was signed by both parties precisely two months after the alleged date, on the 31st of May 2010.
"Therefore, any statements or value judgements made by the cited publication in regard to this false information lack any basis and have no other objective than to damage the image of Real Madrid and its president, just as is becoming the norm for this particular media outlet."
Mourinho joined Chelsea after leading Real to the La Liga title in the 2011-12 season, before being hired at Manchester United in 2016.