José Mourinho Officially Becomes New Coach of Real Madrid

José Mourinho was appointed as the new coach of Real Madrid for the next three seasons, the Madrid club announced on Thursday. At 63 years old, the Portuguese coach had previously managed Real from 2010 to 2013. Considered one of the greatest coaches in football history, he was set to take charge of a club that had gone without a major trophy for two seasons.

Mourinho succeeded Álvaro Arbeloa, who had taken over the reins of Real in January following the dismissal of Xabi Alonso, eight months after his arrival. Mourinho was scheduled to join Real on July 13, as stated in a club statement. Having also coached FC Porto, Chelsea, and Inter Milan, the "Special One" was managing the Portuguese club Benfica since September 2025.

Earlier in the week, Benfica confirmed that Real had "officialized its intention to hire José Mourinho for an amount of 15 million euros" and clarified that the Portuguese coach had agreed to the terms. This decision was made by Florentino Pérez.

Mourinho's accolades include two UEFA Champions League titles (in 2004 with FC Porto, in 2010 with Inter Milan) and several national titles (twice champion of Portugal with FC Porto, three times champion of England with Chelsea, and once champion of Italy with Inter in 2009 and 2010). During his first tenure at Real, he secured a Copa del Rey in 2011 and a La Liga title in 2012.

Florentino Pérez, re-elected as president of Real Madrid last weekend, had made the Portuguese coach his top choice for returning to the bench. The club president was convinced that Mourinho laid the groundwork for the future successes of the decade, which included "six Champions League titles in ten years."