José Mourinho ‘to return’ to Real Madrid next season, 13 years on | OneFootball

José Mourinho is expected to return to the Real Madrid dugout next season, 13 years after his first spell, according to Cadena SER on Sunday.

The club are seeking a successor to Alvaro Arbeloa, who failed to convince after replacing Xabi Alonso mid-season, and are thought to have chosen the Portuguese. Mourinho previously led Madrid from 2010 to 2013, winning La Liga in 2012, the Copa del Rey in 2011 and the Spanish Super Cup in 2012.

He had repeatedly said he had not signed for Madrid and would wait for Benfica’s season to finish on Saturday before deciding. Any announcement is likely only after the end of La Liga and Saturday’s presidential elections, which are expected to strengthen Florentino Perez, who is furious with the media.

Mourinho, 63, finished the league season unbeaten with Benfica but only in third place. He would be tasked with steadying a club under scrutiny amid criticism around Kylian Mbappé after a clash with Arbeloa, and a dressing room split by an altercation between Aurélien Tchouaméni and Federico Valverde.

Madrid have just completed a second successive trophyless season, surrendering La Liga to Barcelona again after defeat in El Clásico. They also went out of the Champions League in the quarter-finals for the second year running, losing both legs to Bayern Munich. Mourinho has not won a trophy since Roma’s Conference League triumph in 2022.

Source: L'Équipe