🚨Breaking: Mourinho returns to Benfica 25 years on | OneFootball

Benfica confirmed this Thursday the signing of José Mourinho as their new coach.

The manager, the most decorated in Portugal, returns to the league and the club where he began his career as head coach in the 2000/01 season.

The announcement comes after the dismissal of Bruno Lage following the defeat against Qarabag in the Champions League and a series of poor results in the league.

The agreement with Mourinho will run until the end of the 2026/27 season, although there is an option to terminate the contract "10 days before" the end of the current campaign.

“What coach says no to Benfica? I don’t say no,” declared Mourinho upon his arrival in Lisbon, making clear the emotional weight of his return to a club he left abruptly (after a change in presidency) a quarter of a century ago.

The signing of the coach, who has accumulated titles in Portugal, England, Italy, and Spain, is a strategic move by the board to relaunch Benfica both in domestic competitions and in Europe. His arrival also coincides with a climate of electoral tension at the club, where his name could become a decisive factor in gaining popular support.

Mourinho is expected to take his place on the bench as soon as next weekend, in the league match against AVS, which will mark his official debut in this second spell with the Eagles.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.

📸 PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA - AFP or licensors