Real Madrid hero poised to join Jose Mourinho coaching staff | OneFootball

Florentino Perez was re-elected as Real Madrid president on Sunday, meaning that Jose Mourinho can now be confirmed as the club’s new manager. The Portuguese has had an agreement in place to return for the last couple of weeks, but it was conditioned on Perez winning the election, which he did with 65% of the total vote.

Mourinho has been making preparations in anticipation of Perez defeating Enrique Riquelme, but now that it’s official, plans are pressing ahead. He will welcome Ibrahima Konate and Denzel Dumfries into his squad for next season, and he’s also set to add a familiar face to his coaching staff.

Mourinho to add Pepe to Real Madrid staff

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According to Ramon Alvarez de Mon (via Sport), Mourinho is set to include Pepe in his Real Madrid coaching staff. The 43-year-old has been out of football since retiring as a player in 2024, but he’s set to take the first step into coaching with the club he was with as a player for 10 years between 2007 and 2017 – three of those were with Mourinho during his first spell in charge at the Bernabeu (2010-2013).

Mourinho will bring over a number of his staff from Benfica, but he was keen to also have someone with a personal connection to Real Madrid. His predecessor Alvaro Arbeloa was quickly ruled out as an option, but it is another fan favourite in Pepe that is set to step up.

Real Madrid still waiting to officially announce Mourinho

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While it has been known for weeks that Mourinho would join Real Madrid if Perez was re-elected, there has yet to be official confirmation of his return to the dugout, 12 hours on from the presidential vote result being known. However, it is a mere formality that he will be appointed, with an announcement expected to come in the next few days.