Marco Silva returns to Portugal as Benfica's eighth manager in a decade, replacing Mourinho bound for Real Madrid

Benfica have turned to Marco Silva to fill the vacancy left by José Mourinho, who is returning to Real Madrid after an eight-month spell in Lisbon. The club confirmed both moves on Tuesday night, marking the eighth managerial change at the Estádio da Luz in the last ten years.

The succession

Silva, 48, ended a five-year stint at Fulham when his contract at Craven Cottage expired a week ago. Benfica said they had "reached an agreement" with the Portuguese coach, who has signed a contract until the end of the 2027-28 season with an option to extend to 2028-29. He succeeds Mourinho, whose second spell at the club yielded a third-place finish in the Primeira Liga without a single defeat, but left them eight points behind champions FC Porto and outside the Champions League qualification places.

The coach [Mourinho] has given his agreement to this hiring.

Real Madrid will pay Benfica £13m (15m euros) in compensation to bring the 63-year-old back to the Bernabéu, where he previously managed between 2010 and 2013, winning La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup.

A decade in England

Silva left Portugal 11 years ago after a controversial dismissal by Sporting CP, where he was sacked for "just cause" on 4 June 2015 — one day before Jorge Jesus was announced as the new manager. The cited reason included not wearing the official suit during a Portuguese Cup tie, a competition he went on to win after beating SC Braga on penalties in the final.

He rebuilt his career abroad, winning the Greek Super League with Olympiacos in his first season away, before spending the next nine years in English football. His journey began at Hull City in 2016-17, continued at Watford and Everton, and culminated in a transformative five-year spell at Fulham.

The Fulham revolution

At Craven Cottage, Silva shed the club's "yo-yo" reputation. He won the Championship title in 2021-22, scoring 106 goals, and then established Fulham as a stable mid-table Premier League side. Their league finishes under him read: 10th (2022-23, 52 points), 13th (2023-24, 47 points), 11th (2024-25, 54 points) and 11th again (2025-26, 52 points).

He was able to bring order and set the team up to attack and break records. 106 goals scored in the Championship, wow!

A pressured presidency

Silva arrives at a club where president Rui Costa is under intense pressure after recent failures. Benfica last won the league in 2023, and the managerial carousel has seen eight changes in a decade. Only Bruno Lage, Jorge Jesus (in his return) and Roger Schmidt came close to or slightly exceeded the two-year mark. Since Rui Vitória, no coach has completed three consecutive seasons.

Silva himself has only twice been in a position to fight for major honours — at Sporting, where he fell short despite the cup win, and at Olympiacos, where he succeeded. At Benfica, his margin for error will be slim.

Early rise in Portugal

Before his move abroad, Silva made his name at Estoril Praia, where he transitioned from player to manager. He won the second division title in 2011-12 and then led the club to fifth and fourth-place finishes in the Primeira Liga, securing Europa League qualification in both campaigns. That meteoric rise earned him the Sporting job, though his tenure in Alvalade lasted only one season.