Jose Mourinho is the man Real Madrid want as their next manager, with manager Florentino Perez looking to give the special one a second spell at the Bernabéu.
Benfica manager Jose Mourinho has attracted the attention of Real Madrid (Image: Carlos Rodrigues/Getty Images)
Real Madrid have identified Jose Mourinho as their top target to replace Alvaro Arbeloa this summer as president Florentino Perez presses ahead with plans to bring the Special One back to Spain.
Mourinho was in charge at the Bernabéu for three years from 2010, winning a record number of La Liga and Copa del Rey titles. In both cases, he had to overthrow the mighty Barcelona side led by Josep Guardiola.
Arbeloa was brought in midway through this season to replace Xabi Alonso, but with the season ending without a trophy, change is inevitable. Perez has left general manager Jose Angel Sánchez in charge of the pursuit of Alonso, but will now play a central role in appointing the next manager, The Athletic reports.
Mourinho is not the back-to-back winner that Real were when they hired him 16 years ago, but he intends to finish the season unbeaten at Benfica, even if it means missing out on the Portuguese title.
The 63-year-old only joined Benfica in September and has a contract until June 2027. However, the contract contains a clause worth around 3 million euros, allowing either party to break the contract until 10 days after the final game of the season.
read more: Trent Alexander-Arnold ‘sneers’ from Real Madrid bench as team-mates appear on videoread more: Why Jude Bellingham ignored Manchester United move despite private tour of Old Trafford
Mourinho, who masterminded the victory over Real in this season’s Champions League, will now have to manage a Whites team that looks set to go into a second year without a trophy. Perez is beating Mourinho’s drum, but other voices within the club are less certain about his return.
He left Madrid under difficult circumstances after taking over some of the club’s most important players. His comments were divisive and his strained relationship with then-captain Iker Casillas was well-documented, which put him out of favor with some fans and media.
This season, he criticized Vinicius Junior, one of the team’s main figures, and suggested he may have instigated an incident that ended with the Brazilian player claiming he was racially abused by Benfica’s Gianluca Prestiani.
Jose Mourinho won multiple trophies the last time he was at Real Madrid
In recent years, it has become common for Madrid to appoint managers who have previously been with the club. Carlo Ancelotti is a successful example of an Italian player who returned from Everton in 2021, six years after leaving the club. In his second stint, he completed two doubles in La Liga and Champions League.
Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is also one of the big players linked with Real’s appointment. He currently has a leadership role at Red Bull but would be open to returning as a coach. Three international managers could be appointed after the World Cup: Mauricio Pochettino, Julian Nagelsmann and Didier Deschamps.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive Mirror Football content every day. Community members also receive special offers, promotions, and advertisements from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check it out whenever you like. If you are interested, please read our privacy notice.
Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+ and Ultimate TV packages
Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundles to include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, plus 135 channels and complete coverage of the Premier League and EFL from Sky.
Sky has over 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more, with at least 215 of them live from the top flight, along with F1, darts and golf.
