Real Madrid confirms José Mourinho as new head coach on three-year deal

A familiar return after 13 years

Der 63-Jährige war bereits von 2010 bis 2013 Trainer der Madrilenen. During that first stint Mourinho won the Spanish La Liga title in 2012, ending a drought for the capital club, and built a reputation for a combative, defensively organised side that also reached the Champions League semi-finals.

His return comes at a turbulent moment for Real Madrid. The club finished behind rivals FC Barcelona in the La Liga standings and was eliminated in the Champions League quarterfinals by Bayern Munich in the current season. Reports have cited tensions between head coach Xabi Alonso and several senior players, including Vinícius Junior, while Alvaro Arbeloa, who took over after Alonso's dismissal, oversaw a tenure marked by repeated internal conflicts and ended without a trophy.

Turbulent backdrop at the Bernabéu

According to the verified reporting, Arbeloa was Mourinho's immediate predecessor in the Real Madrid dugout. The earlier dismissal of Alonso came after approximately half a year in charge, with the former Bayer Leverkusen title-winning coach having started the season as head coach before results and reported dressing-room tensions led to his exit.

Mourinho arrives in Madrid with a coaching résumé that, in addition to his Real Madrid spell, includes a stint at Manchester United. The club is described as the record Champions League title winner, and club president Florentino Pérez is reported to be a major supporter of the returning coach. With Benfica, Mourinho failed to win the league title in the current season, making the Madrid job a high-profile opportunity to revive his standing at the top of European football.

Real Madrid had not initially confirmed the appointment, but the official statement followed Benfica's announcement and ended days of speculation in the Spanish and Portuguese press. The move also makes Mourinho one of the few coaches in the modern era to take charge of the same major European club on two separate occasions separated by more than a decade.

What comes next

Pre-season at Real Madrid is scheduled to begin on 13 July, when Mourinho is expected to meet his new squad for the first time. Club officials have not publicly outlined transfer targets or tactical changes, though the early indications are that the Portuguese coach will have significant input into the recruitment plan ahead of the new La Liga campaign.

José Mourinho wird neuer Trainer von Real Madrid, the club confirmed, framing the appointment as a return of a familiar figure rather than a new direction. For a club accustomed to collecting major silverware, the coming season is now framed around whether the second Mourinho era can replicate the title-winning impact of his first.