Sliding Doors Moments: What if Scholes wasn’t offside?
It's time to for another sliding doors moment in football
We travel back to 2004. Manchester United face Porto in the last-16 of the Champions League.
What actually happened?
A ontroversial offside call against Paul Scholes became a pivotal moment in European football history. The disallowed goal cost United a place in the quarter-finals, while Porto, managed by the up and coming manager José Mourinho, went on to win the competition and launch Mourinho into the managerial elite. But what if Scholes hadn’t been ruled offside? How might this alternative scenario have changed the landscape of world and European football?
Scholes wasn’t offside: United progress
Had the linesman not flagged Scholes for offside, Manchester United would have progressed to the next round of the Champions League. Scholes' goal was legitimate, and had it stood, United would have won the tie on aggregate, knocking out Porto and ending their European dreams. With the Red Devils moving forward, the entire dynamic of that season’s competition would have shifted. Sir Alex Ferguson’s team (featuring a young Cristiano Ronaldo an experienced Roy Keane and an in-form Ruud van Nistelrooy) would have had a strong chance of going all the way.
Manchester United’s progression would have boosted their confidence, potentially leading to greater domestic and European success that season. At the time, Ferguson was hungry to add another Champions League title to his collection, having already won the trophy in 1999. Without Porto in their way, United might have gone on to meet either Deportivo La Coruña or AS Monaco later in the competition, both of whom were beatable opponents. A final against Monaco, Deportivo, or even AC Milan, would have been within reach for Ferguson’s side, possibly earning the club a third European Cup.
There is an argument that this defeat eventually spurred onto Sir Alex Ferguson developing another great United side. The following summer saw Fergie sign Rooney. The inconsistency of then goalkeeper Tim Howard resulted in the signing of Edwin Van Der Sar in the summer of 2005. Was this defeat actually a good thing?
Porto don’t win the Champions League
Without Paul Scholes being incorrectly ruled offside, Porto would never have advanced past Manchester United and wouldn’t have won that season's competition. The club’s meteoric rise that season, which culminated in Mourinho lifting the trophy after defeating Monaco 3-0 in the final, would never have happened. Porto’s unexpected triumph not only solidified their status in European football but also reshaped the future careers of many of their players. The likes of Ricardo Carvalho and Deco became household names thanks to their performances during Porto’s remarkable run, both earning high-profile transfers after the victory.
In this alternate reality, Porto’s squad would have likely stayed together for longer, unable to command the same transfer fees without the Champions League success on their CVs. The ripple effect would have also been felt across the transfer market, with elite clubs perhaps looking elsewhere for their reinforcements.
Porto’s loss would also have changed the dynamics of European football, as the balance of power would have tilted more towards traditional heavyweights like Manchester United or AC Milan that year.
Mourinho never becomes Chelsea manager
One of the most significant consequences of this alternate scenario would be the impact on José Mourinho’s career. The victory over Manchester United and Porto’s Champions League win were instrumental in securing Mourinho’s move to Chelsea, where he became one of the most successful managers in Premier League history. Without that European triumph, it’s unlikely that Roman Abramovich would have hired him to lead his new-look Chelsea project.
Instead, Mourinho may have stayed at Porto for another year or moved to a different, less high-profile club. While his tactical genius and charisma might eventually have propelled him to a top-tier job, the trajectory of his career would have been slower and less dramatic.
Chelsea, on the other hand, may have pursued a different manager. Perhaps they would have retained Claudio Ranieri or hired someone like Sven-Göran Eriksson, who was linked to the job at the time.
Chelsea’s dominance under Mourinho—winning back-to-back Premier League titles and becoming one of Europe’s elite clubs—would not have materialised in the same way. The "Special One" transformed Chelsea, turning them into a formidable force, but without Mourinho, the club's fortunes might have been markedly different.
