Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho returned to Real Madrid’s bench after 13 years. On Thursday, the big Spanish club officially confirmed him as their new helmsman and signed a three-year contract with him. He last worked in Benfica Lisbon. Mourinho will join the team on July 13, when the “white ballet” starts preparations for the new season. According to the club’s website, the 63-year-old coach has signed a contract with the Madrid team until June 30, 2029.
The sixty-three-year-old coach led Real from 2010 to 2013. During his first tenure, he won the La Liga title, the Spanish Cup and the domestic Super Cup and ended Barcelona’s reign. In the 2011/2012 season, his team collected a record 100 points in the highest Spanish competition and scored 121 goals. After leaving the Santiago Bernabeu in 2013, he coached Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, AS Roma, Fenerbahce and most recently Benfica. The return of Mourinho was one of the main topics of the presidential election in Real.
Club boss Florentino Perez, who defended his post at the beginning of June, announced his interest in bringing back the experienced Portuguese and after winning the election, the deal was completed. Benfica subsequently confirmed that the Madrid club had activated a clause of approximately €15 million and that Mourinho had agreed to leave for Madrid. Mourinho took over the team after a turbulent period. Real Madrid ended the 2025/2026 season without winning a trophy, finishing second in La Liga, losing to Barcelona in the Super Cup final, being eliminated in the round of 16 in the Copa del Rey, and finishing in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
In January, Xabi Alonso ended up on the bench, and then former defender Alvaro Arbeloa temporarily led the team. The management of the club believes that Mourinho, with his authority, experience and ability to work under pressure, can stabilize the cabin and once again build a team capable of fighting for triumphs in La Liga and the Champions League.
For Mourinho, this is one of the most significant returns in the modern football era. The coach nicknamed “The Special One” returns to the environment where he left a significant mark with one goal – to return Real Madrid to the absolute elite of world football. However, Mourinho has not won a domestic league competition with any club since the 2014/2015 season, when he led Chelsea to the English Premier League title. Under his leadership, Benfica did not lose a single league match last season, but after 11 draws, they finished third in the Portuguese Primeira Liga, eight points behind champions Porto.
