Mourinho, Florentino Pérez’s long-held wish as Lisbon reunion with Real Madrid nears | OneFootball

Florentino Pérez has long favoured José Mourinho and the pair remain in contact. According to El Periódico Mediterráneo, they still exchange calls and messages 13 years after the Portuguese left the club. Their paths cross again on Wednesday in Lisbon, when Benfica face Real Madrid in the final round of the Champions League group stage.

Asked about a return to Madrid, Mourinho dismissed the idea, likening the saga to a long soap opera and saying he would not get involved.

He managed Madrid from 2010 to 2013 during a fierce rivalry with Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona. His team won the Copa del Rey in 2011 and La Liga in 2012, but he departed without the club’s tenth Champions League.

Pérez has said Mourinho was the only coach to impose order in the Madrid dressing room, and argued he matched the club’s DNA. In 2013, as Chelsea called, Pérez urged him to stay, and Mourinho later admitted that declining was a major mistake.

Each time Mourinho took a new job, at Manchester United, Tottenham, Roma, Fenerbahçe and then Benfica, Pérez sent good luck messages, the latest voiced publicly.

Álvaro Arbeloa’s bond with Mourinho is especially close. The current Madrid coach has said Mourinho was like a friend or father and shielded the squad. On taking charge, he called it a privilege to have been coached by him, while stressing he would be himself. The pair are likely to share a warm greeting on the pitch.

Source: El Periódico Mediterráneo