Mourinho returns to Real Madrid on three-year deal, pending Perez election

José Mourinho has signed a three-year contract to return as head coach of Real Madrid, pending the outcome of the club’s presidential election next month, the club has confirmed.

The 63-year-old Portuguese will not be officially unveiled until after the vote on 7 June, and his contract is only valid if current president Florentino Pérez remains in office.

Pérez, 79, who has been president since 2009 and previously served from 2000 to 2006, announced the election earlier this month at an extraordinary news conference where he criticised journalists and La Liga, alleging an “organised campaign” against him.

He now faces a challenger for the first time in 20 years. Renewables tycoon Enrique Riquelme is standing against Pérez, though the incumbent is widely expected to win.

Mourinho will leave his current role as manager of Benfica, where he took charge in September and led the club to third place in Portugal’s Primeira Liga.

Return to the Bernabéu

The move marks a return to the Spanish capital for Mourinho, who previously managed Real Madrid from 2010 to 2013, winning La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup.

He replaces Álvaro Arbeloa, who took charge only in January following the departure of Xabi Alonso. Real Madrid ended the 2025-26 season without a trophy, as rivals Barcelona clinched the La Liga title with a 2-0 victory in El Clásico. Madrid’s Champions League campaign also ended in the quarter-finals, with a 6-4 aggregate defeat to German champions Bayern Munich.

Since leaving Real in 2013, Mourinho has had a second stint at Chelsea – winning a third Premier League title and the EFL Cup in 2014-15 – as well as managing Manchester United, where he won the Europa League, and Tottenham. He also led Roma to the Europa Conference League title in 2022 and had a spell at Fenerbahce before taking over at Benfica.

‘Iron fist for a broken team’

Analysts say Mourinho’s confrontational style and “us-against-the-world” approach align closely with Pérez’s own rhetoric against referees, the media and perceived favouritism toward Barcelona.

“The paranoia runs in the corridors of power at the Bernabéu and will now be in the dugout with Mourinho,” said Spanish football reporter Elizabeth Conway. “The club are not simply searching for a tactician. They are looking for a manager capable of restoring authority, identity and emotional control to a fractured squad.”

Madrid’s dressing room has been marked by player disputes and internal tensions. The club has gone two consecutive seasons without a major trophy, a rare drought by its high standards.

“Into this chaos walks a man with an iron fist, a famous surname and zero tolerance for insubordination,” Conway added. “The pressure on Mourinho to help them regain domestic and European dominance will be immense.”