Mourinho moves millions! Benfica set for another record windfall | OneFootball

José Mourinho is about to add another notable chapter to a career full of multimillion-euro deals. The Portuguese coach, who took charge of Benfica in September 2025, could be on his way out of the Estádio da Luz to return to Real Madrid, in a deal that is expected to bring the Eagles around €15 million. If confirmed, it will be the third transfer of the coach’s career involving financial compensation between clubs.

The potential move to the Bernabéu comes in a particular context. Real Madrid is in an election period, with Florentino Pérez preparing to contest the presidency against Enrique Riquelme. Mourinho is seen as an important piece for the “Merengues” project, and his signing could be one of the current Madrid leader’s biggest trump cards in securing a new term.

The numbers from Mourinho’s career help explain the scale of the phenomenon. Since leaving Porto for Chelsea in 2004, the Portuguese coach has already been involved in processes worth around €137.1 million. Of that amount, €29 million relates to transfers between clubs, while an impressive €108.1 million comes from compensation linked to dismissals throughout his career.

Among the most high-profile cases are the €22 million paid by Manchester United when he left in 2018, the €20.9 million paid out by Chelsea in 2007, and the €19.7 million agreed by Real Madrid in 2013. More recently, Mourinho received €15 million from Fenerbahçe after terminating his contract in 2025, in a season marked by elimination against Benfica in the Champions League qualifying play-off.

If the move to Real Madrid goes through, Benfica will be able to soften the impact of the coach’s departure and pocket a significant fee just nine months after his appointment. The situation becomes even more significant because it is happening in a particularly turbulent season for Mourinho, who went from being a central figure in Benfica’s election campaign to the protagonist of a new power struggle, this time in Madrid.

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