Jose Mourinho and Real Madrid: The inside story on an unexpected return

Jose Mourinho is back at Real Madrid.

Thirteen years after his previous spell between 2010-2013 ended in acrimony, the Portuguese 63-year-old is returning to the Spanish club. It is the latest dramatic development after what was an extraordinarily turbulent season at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The Madrid that Mourinho knew has changed in many meaningful ways. One thing remains the same, however. Club president Florentino Perez is still calling the shots.

Even just six weeks ago, few would have considered Mourinho a serious option to replace Alvaro Arbeloa as manager. But on April 28, The Athletic reported the surprising news that Perez was the driving force behind giving him another chance.

The development caused quite a stir, including at Real Madrid. For days, the club denied the news in private, which sparked a flurry of reports to that effect in the Spanish media.

In reality, the plan was already in motion.

Here, informed by multiple sources with knowledge of the move — who each spoke anonymously as they did not have permission to discuss it publicly — The Athletic explains how this unexpected appointment came about.

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The sudden emergence of Mourinho’s name took many by surprise — but not those closest to Perez.

Madrid’s president had already mentioned Mourinho to figures among his trusted circle back in December, when it was already clear to him that Xabi Alonso should be fired, despite having only appointed him the previous May.

However, any move was seen as unfeasible then, as Mourinho had joined Benfica that September, signing a contract until June 2027.

Instead, they turned to Arbeloa, who had been promoted to the position of reserve team manager for 2025-26. He took over first-team duties from Alonso on January 12, losing to second-division Albacete in the Copa del Rey in his debut match two days later.

Two weeks on, the rookie manager found himself up against Mourinho’s Benfica in Madrid’s final league-phase match of the Champions League. A wild 4-2 defeat in Lisbon, and another twist of fate in the knockout phase play-offs draw, meant Mourinho’s side would test themselves against Madrid again, this time over two legs.

The first leg in the Portuguese capital on February 17 was stopped after Vinicius Junior alleged Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni racially abused him.

Prestianni denied the allegation and was subsequently banned by UEFA and FIFA after admitting using a homophobic (rather than racist) slur against the Madrid forward.

On the night, Mourinho suggested Vinicius Jr had incited the incident. In comments made to Amazon Prime, he seemed to blame the Brazilian for provoking the regular racist abuse he has suffered in recent years. The prospect of him ever coaching a side featuring the 25-year-old appeared significantly damaged, as his words attracted widespread condemnation.

Mourinho was also sent off for arguing with the referee over a separate incident in that game, which meant he would be absent from the touchline for the second leg at the Bernabeu a week later. Nonetheless, there was a great deal of anticipation over Mourinho’s return — for the first time since leaving in 2013.

Dozens of reporters gathered outside the place in the stands Madrid had prepared for him. Mourinho, in typically enigmatic fashion, did not show, preferring to watch the 2-1 defeat (Madrid progressed as 3-1 winners on aggregate) from the Benfica team bus. He was not spotted in the ground.

It was widely expected that Mourinho was going to be given a hostile reception that night. A proportion of the Madrid fanbase still harbours ill feeling over the fractious nature of his previous time in charge — which Mourinho himself described as “tough, intense, almost violent” in a press conference previewing that league phase meeting in January.

However, the bigger factor at play was what happened between Mourinho and Vinicius Jr.

What Mourinho said did not go down well with the forward, sources close to the player said at the time. However, there was no public comment at all from Madrid. Those same sources have recently said the Brazilian has no problem with Mourinho arriving as the club’s new manager.

Victory over Benfica, and then a five-match winning run that included Madrid eliminating Manchester City in the Champions League last 16, represented the best spell of Arbeloa’s time in charge.

But behind the scenes, Madrid’s leadership did not drop their contingency planning.

Madrid lost both legs of the Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich, the second on April 15. By that time, they had also fallen nine points behind Barcelona. La Liga was essentially lost. Following European elimination, their moves stepped up.

Perez was also receiving reports about rising tensions and a troubling atmosphere in the dressing room — a situation that would eventually result in the flashpoint fight between Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde a month later.

Mourinho was not the only name being discussed, at that stage. But one well-placed source at the club expressed hope he would be the one appointed, as they thought only he could change the bad internal dynamics.

United States manager Mauricio Pochettino was frequently mentioned in discussions, although no negotiations took place, as were France national coach Didier Deschamps and Aston Villa’s Unai Emery — an option which did not please Perez.

There were rumours about former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp. While his profile was liked at Madrid, there were no formal talks. Klopp and his entourage repeatedly stated, both publicly and privately, that he had no intention of stepping down as Red Bull’s global head of soccer, a position he took up in January 2025.

Toni Kroos, who has held talks over a return to Madrid in a role yet to be defined within the club’s structure, denied on X that he tried to persuade his fellow German to join.

Reports had suggested that Kroos, who played for Madrid from 2014 until his retirement in 2024, was taking advantage of the fact that he is Klopp’s neighbour in Mallorca to speak to him. Sources with knowledge of the matter denied this to The Athletic and added that Kroos does not own a house in Mallorca.

There was also a tentative approach made to Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni via Madrid’s football director Santiago Solari, whose influence at the club has significantly waned.

A club source close to Perez said at the time that “the coach has to be chosen by the president”, adding that his choice would be “supported, with all the consequences” and that the 79-year-old had “a very clear plan”.

That plan was bringing back Mourinho.

Their parting in 2013 left both sides with a bittersweet taste, a sense of unfinished business. Those who know Perez say that Mourinho is the Madrid manager he has truly respected the most.

Perez felt there were plenty of reasons to choose him. The president has fond memories of how Mourinho took on Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona, restoring the competitiveness Madrid had lost.

Mourinho beat Barca to win the Copa del Rey in his debut campaign in 2010-11, and followed that up with a record points total (100) and goals scored (121) on the way to claiming the 2011-12 La Liga title. He also brought Madrid close to glory in the Champions League, with three semi-final exits, and beat Barca to win the Supercopa de Espana in 2012.

It has often been said that Mourinho laid the foundation for the serial European successes that followed under Carlo Ancelotti and Zinedine Zidane.

Those names help reflect another key factor here: familiarity. Perez has clearly favoured managers he knows best. Since he began his second spell as president in 2009, Ancelotti, Zidane and now Mourinho have each been re-hired for a second spell.

All of this made Mourinho the ideal candidate for Perez, and there was little internal opposition. Despite some concerns being raised over whether Mourinho’s potentially divisive approach represented the best way forward, Madrid’s president wanted to take full responsibility for the decision.

But there would be an unexpected development, just around the corner. One that significantly increased the cost of Mourinho’s appointment.

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Mourinho became aware of Madrid’s interest in the week leading up to Benfica’s league match against Famalicao on May 2.

Madrid then formally opened negotiations with Mourinho’s agent, Jorge Mendes. Mourinho was informed of what the club expected of him, and he had the chance to outline his key ideas for the new project. This included bringing in part of his trusted staff and the need for his voice to be heard in squad planning and other decisions.

Mourinho was given approval to bring in five staff members from Benfica: assistants Joao Tralhao and Pedro Machado, analyst Roberto Merella, fitness coach Antonio Dias, and goalkeeper coach Nuno Santos.

Mourinho and Madrid are also expected to discuss the creation of a new position at the club. The role would see a new member of staff take up responsibilities between the first team and the board, ideally a figure with links to Madrid and or Spanish football, to help with the day-to-day. Nothing has been concluded, but the name of 43-year-old former Madrid defender Pepe, who retired in 2024, is one of the candidates mentioned.

Despite these arrivals, Mourinho was also keen to keep Madrid’s physical trainer Antonio Pintus and goalkeeping coach Luis Llopis, both highly appreciated by Perez and expected to stay.

In terms of reinforcements, Mourinho focused on the need to strengthen the defence with a back-up right-back, a left-back to compete with Alvaro Carreras, at least one dominant centre-back and a creative midfielder.

Since then, deals for Ibrahima Konate (on a free transfer, with his Liverpool contract expiring) and Denzel Dumfries (via his €20million (£17.3m; $23m) release clause at Inter) have been set up. Names discussed at left-back include Arsenal’s Riccardo Calafiori and Manchester City’s Josko Gvardiol, who can both also play at centre-back.

In midfield, the standout targets were Paris Saint-Germain’s Vitinha and Joao Neves, though neither are not considered within reach. Other options under consideration are Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez and West Ham’s Mateus Fernandes. On Tuesday, Madrid said they made a €150million bid for Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez, which was rejected.

Back in early May, Mourinho was happy at Benfica and aware that the Portuguese club intended to offer him a contract extension, but his intentions changed — to prioritising the option of re-joining Madrid.

Benfica gradually came to terms with the situation and began exploring potential replacements. Fulham’s Marco Silva was always the favourite, and the 48-year-old was appointed this week. The Premier League club are now considering hiring Arbeloa.

As talks over Mourinho between Madrid and Mendes progressed, it was clear to all parties that they needed to wait until the end of the season in Portugal to take the final steps required. Madrid wanted to show respect to Benfica, and Mourinho wanted to leave on the best possible terms.

On May 13, the Wednesday before their final match of 2025-26, Benfica sent Mendes a formal contract renewal offer for Mourinho. The manager said in a press conference the following day that he had not considered it as he did not want any distractions — but in truth, he had no intention of accepting it.

That same week, he confided to some people at Benfica that he was leaving.

After Benfica won their final match against Estoril on May 16, finishing the league season unbeaten but just outside the Champions League spots in third, Mourinho confirmed at a press conference what had already been reported by The Athletic: he had not spoken to Perez but would do so the following week.

Finishing touches were then added to the deal that would re-unite Madrid and Mourinho. Reports suggested the deal was for two years, with an option for a third. The Athletic revealed that Mourinho signed a contract valid until June 2029.

The formal announcement and unveiling of Mourinho as Madrid’s next manager was planned to take place during the week starting Monday, May 25 — two days after Real Madrid’s final game of the season.

But by May 23, one day before the deadline by which candidates had to come forward, 37-year-old renewable energy entrepreneur Enrique Riquelme was confirmed to be running against Perez in a presidential election the 79-year-old had called on May 12.

Had Madrid decided to keep to the original timeframe, they could have activated a break clause of around €6million in Mourinho’s Benfica deal, but this was only valid until May 29. Instead, Madrid have had to pay €15m — the value of a separate release fee in his contract.

Despite the delay, Mourinho still ended up playing a key role in Perez’s election campaign. Just as Riquelme was making his big play to the 100,000 Madrid members eligible to vote by promising he would sign Erling Haaland if he won the race, Perez’s campaign team essentially revealed Mourinho’s appointment.

The following day, Benfica announced that Madrid had informed them of their firm intention to pay Mourinho’s €15million clause — should Perez be re-elected as president.

His victory on Sunday, winning 65 per cent of the vote, cleared the path for remaining formalities to be completed and Mourinho flew to the Spanish capital on Tuesday, before returning to Portugal on Wednesday. Madrid finally announced his appointment in a club statement on Thursday.

His presentation at the Bernabeu is planned for July 13, but Madrid and Mourinho are now back together. There is plenty of hard work ahead.

Additional reporting: David Ornstein