Real Madrid reappoint José Mourinho as head coach on three-year deal to end two-year trophy drought

Real Madrid on Thursday announced the return of José Mourinho, 13 years after his first spell at the Spanish giants ended. The 63-year-old has signed a three-season contract and will officially start on 13 July, when the club begins pre-season training. The move had been widely expected after Florentino Pérez was re-elected as president and immediately named Mourinho his top target.

A second coming

Mourinho first managed Madrid between 2010 and 2013, winning a La Liga title, a Copa del Rey and a Spanish Super Cup. His combative personality fractured the dressing room and alienated large sections of the local media, yet Pérez has long argued that the Portuguese laid the foundations for the six Champions League titles the club won in the decade after his departure.

“Proud to welcome back one of the best coaches in the world, a Madridista like Jose Mourinho. And rest assured, with me as president, Real Madrid has been, is, and will always remain owned by its members.”

Trophy drought and instability

Madrid have gone two full seasons without a major trophy. The current campaign ended in humiliation when Barcelona clinched the league title with a 2-0 win in El Clásico – the first time in 94 years the Spanish title was decided by a direct meeting between the rivals. The record 15-time European champions have also failed to make the Champions League quarter-finals in the last two seasons. Two coaches, Xabi Alonso and Álvaro Arbeloa, were dismissed during the year, underlining the turbulence Mourinho inherits.

The road from Lisbon

Madrid paid Benfica €15 million in compensation to release Mourinho. He had been in charge of the Portuguese club since September 2025, guiding them to an unbeaten league season but only a third-place finish. Earlier this week, Benfica moved quickly to appoint former Fulham manager Marco Silva as his replacement.

Building for a new era

The new coach can already count on one confirmed signing: French international defender Ibrahima Konaté, whose transfer from Liverpool was announced on Monday. A second reinforcement, Dutch full-back Denzel Dumfries from Inter Milan, could follow. Mourinho’s biggest challenge will be to construct a functional team around superstar forwards Kylian Mbappé and Vinicius Junior and midfielder Jude Bellingham – a puzzle that undid his predecessors.

What Mourinho brings

Mourinho arrives with a glittering CV that includes Champions League triumphs with Porto and Inter Milan, plus domestic titles in Portugal, England and Italy. Critics point out that his aura has faded since leaving Manchester United in 2018, but Pérez is betting that his organisational skills and deep knowledge of the club can restore competitiveness quickly.