Official! Specialist snubs Benfica renewal, joins Mourinho at Real Madrid | OneFootball

Sandro Carriço has ended a 13-year spell with Benfica to take on a new challenge at Real Madrid, where he joins José Mourinho’s coaching staff. The physiologist had an offer to remain with the Eagles, but chose to embrace what he considers a unique step in his career.

Sandro Carriço’s journey at Benfica began in the youth setup, where he worked with the under-19 team between the 2013/14 and 2014/15 seasons. After that spell, he joined the first-team structure, remaining at the Luz until the end of last season. The move to the Santiago Bernabéu is now official, with his name appearing in the technical staff section of Real Madrid on the Spanish club’s website.

The move comes as no surprise, given the professional relationship built with José Mourinho during last season. The Portuguese coach, who managed Benfica in 2025/26 before returning to Real Madrid, worked daily with Sandro Carriço and was one of the main figures behind his integration into the Merengues’ new coaching staff.

Last season, José Mourinho led Benfica in 45 official matches, recording 27 wins, 10 draws and eight defeats, the equivalent of a 67.4% success rate, despite failing to win any trophies during his second spell at the Luz.

With his spell at Benfica now over, Mourinho accepted Florentino Pérez’s invitation and returns to take charge of Los Blancos to begin a new cycle at the Spanish club. At Real Madrid, José Mourinho will work with Bernardo Silva, one of the signings secured by the Spanish champions for the new season.

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