José Mourinho signs two-year contract at Benfica: “I’m not here to celebrate my career” | OneFootball

The greatest Portuguese manager of all time – and quite possibly the greatest of any nationality, period – is back where it all started for him. José Mourinho has signed a two-year contract at Benfica.

From the moment Bruno Lage was sacked late on Tuesday night after Benfica’s shock defeat at home to Qarabag in the Champions League, speculation had been rampant that Mourinho would be replacing his fellow Setúbal-born coach.

Benfica president Rui Costa, who runs for re-election at the end of October and has been trailing in the polls, moved fast to secure Mourinho’s services.

Less than 48 hours after Lage’s dismissal, and almost 25 years to the day since a young José Mourinho was unveiled as Benfica’s manager – his first job as a head coach after working as an assistant for Bobby Robson and Louis van Gaal at Porto and Barcelona – the now 62-year-old has returned to the Lisbon giants.

A visibly emotional Mourinho – “I’m feeling so many emotions, but experience enables me to control them” – guaranteed that he has lost none of his passion for football, saying that he wanted to start work in his new position last night and that he felt the exact same passion for football as he has ever done.

Selected quotes from the press conferenece:

“I’d like to thank the club for showing confidence in me. I’m going to immerse myself in this mission. I’m the coach of one of the biggest clubs in the world.”

“It’s been 25 years, but I haven’t come here to celebrate my career.”

“I would like to say to you, Rui Costa, as the representative of the Benfiquistas all around the world, that none other of the giant clubs that I have had the opportunity to coach has made me feel so honoured, with such a sense of responsibility, so motivated, as I am as the coach of Benfica.”

“Coaching Benfica is returning to my level, given that my level is to coach the biggest clubs in the world.”

Asked about whether he could repeat his famous promise in a press conference as FC Porto coach that he would win the title, Mourinho responded: “Promises are worth what they’re worth. I promised that, and I kept my promise, but I could have not kept my promise. They are promises of a 40-year-old and not a 60-year-old.

“What I can promise, and what I truly believe, is that Benfica have all the conditions to win the championship. We have dropped two points, we’ll drop more for sure, hopefully not many, but we’re [all] pretty much starting from ground zero. And Benfica have enough potential in the squad to be champions.”

Immediately after the press conference Mourinho left to take charge of his first training session. He begins his second spell as Benfica coach in Vila das Aves on Saturday evening with Benfica playing AFS.