Jose Mourinho's return to Real Madrid: explained

Real Madrid have re-appointed Jose Mourinho as head coach, 13 years after his first spell at the club ended. The 63-year-old Portuguese manager has signed a three-year deal and will officially begin work when the squad returns for pre-season training on 13 July. Real Madrid paid Benfica £13m (€15m) in compensation to bring him back to the Bernabéu. Mourinho had been at Benfica for one season, guiding them to an unbeaten Liga Portugal campaign but only a third-place finish. His appointment follows a turbulent season at Real Madrid, which saw Xabi Alonso sacked in January amid player unrest and interim coach Álvaro Arbeloa unable to turn things around. The club failed to win a trophy for the second consecutive year, exited the Champions League to Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals, and watched Barcelona win La Liga comfortably. Florentino Pérez, re-elected as club president earlier this month with 65% of the vote, had promised to reappoint Mourinho if he won, clearing the way for the return of the man who led Porto and Inter Milan to Champions League titles and won La Liga with Madrid in 2011-12, along with the Copa del Rey in 2010-11. Mourinho's appointment is seen as an attempt to restore order to the dressing room and bring back success. His previous job at Benfica ended after an unbeaten league season that still left them third; Benfica have since agreed a deal with former Fulham manager Marco Silva to replace him. For UK readers, the story is significant because Mourinho is a well-known figure from his Premier League spells with Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur. His return to one of the world's biggest clubs could also impact English players at Real Madrid, most notably former Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold. Alexander-Arnold endured a difficult debut season at Real Madrid, struggling with injuries and form, and was left out of England's squad for the 2026 World Cup. Real Madrid are close to signing Inter Milan's Denzel Dumfries by activating his £17.3m release clause, which could further challenge Alexander-Arnold's place in the team. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has noted that Mourinho 'likes his defenders to defend first' and that Dumfries might be favoured, though he added that having two different types of right-back is a 'great luxury' for the manager. Mourinho's deal was officially announced on 11 June 2026, and he flew from Lisbon to Madrid that afternoon. His contract runs until summer 2029, and he will be tasked with guiding Real Madrid back to the top of Spanish and European football.