Jose Mourinho has been hit with a ban before his second Real Madrid reign has even begun — but this time the red tape comes from a car showroom, not a disciplinary committee. The Portuguese manager, who returned to the Santiago Bernabeu from Benfica this month, will be forced to leave his prized Ferrari 612 Scaglietti in the garage after discovering a club partnership with BMW that prohibits any other brand from being driven to the stadium or training ground. The rule, which extends to coaching staff and players, means Mourinho must choose from a catalogue of hybrid and electric BMWs as his daily chariot. The Ferrari, reportedly gifted to him by former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich in 2007 and valued at £250,000 at the time, was the same car he turned up in for his first day at Benfica last September. He will also have to mothball a £200,000 Bentley and a Jaguar F-Pace. The restriction already caught out Trent Alexander-Arnold last year after the England international's £8.4million move from Liverpool: his £130,000 Range Rover P530 was banned from the club's premises.
Mourinho's return to Madrid was triggered by recently re-elected Real president Florentino Perez, who decided to bring the 'Special One' back from Benfica. That left Benfica searching for a manager and interim boss Alvaro Arbeloa without a role. Meanwhile, Marco Silva's future at Fulham had been in doubt after he was shortlisted by Chelsea. As managerial vacancies opened across Europe, Silva emerged as Benfica's primary target. Despite Fulham offering a record contract to keep their manager of five years, Benfica secured Silva — with super-agent Jorge Mendes brokering both the Mourinho-to-Madrid and Silva-to-Benfica moves. Arbeloa, represented by agent Oscar Ribot and best known in England for his two-year spell at Liverpool as a player, is now in advanced talks to join Fulham. The former Spain international, who earned 56 caps and won two European Championships and a World Cup between 2008 and 2012, has been out of a first-team role since Benfica's managerial reshuffle.
“Jose Mourinho faces a ban from driving non-BMW cars to Real Madrid's facilities due to a club partnership, just as he returns as manager.”
Mendes, 60, has become a specialist in high-profile appointments. This week another Mendes client, Cesar Peixoto, is set to take over from Rob Edwards as Wolves manager — Gestifute, Mendes' agency, has a close relationship with Molineux owners Fosun. The Portuguese agent also brokered Enzo Maresca's imminent move to Manchester City and has worked with Vitor Pereira, Unai Emery and Nuno Espirito Santo. Across the Premier League, 10 clubs will begin next season with new managers — Bournemouth, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Fulham, Ipswich, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Nottingham Forest and Tottenham — reflecting a chaotic period. For Mourinho, the more immediate headache is deciding which BMW to drive: Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe each use the 748-horsepower BMW XM, a £135,000 machine that reaches 60mph in 3.8 seconds. Not a bad hand-out — but a far cry from a Ferrari gifted by a former oligarch.