José Mourinho watched Real Madrid's Champions League playoff clash against Benfica from the basement of the Bernabéu, inside a team bus, on an iPad. Suspended from the touchline, he refused even to use the media booth prepared for him on the eighth floor. That was February. By May, the same man is now reportedly on the verge of being named Madrid's next manager, making what once seemed like a fantasy look increasingly inevitable.
Why is José Mourinho suddenly the frontrunner for the Real Madrid job?
Real Madrid's season has effectively collapsed. Two years without a major trophy, Barcelona dominant again, and a manager search that has slowly narrowed until one name keeps reappearing. José Mourinho, currently at Benfica, has confirmed he received a contract renewal offer from the club but deliberately chose not to read it. "I received a renewal offer from Benfica on Wednesday... I don't want it, send it to me on Sunday," he told reporters. "Regarding Real Madrid, they never told me, and I would tell them exactly the same."
The diplomatic deflection does little to obscure the reality. A clause in Mourinho's Benfica contract allows him to exit within ten days of the season ending, and Florentino Pérez, who is expected to be returned as president unopposed on May 24, the same day Madrid's season concludes, has reportedly already opened informal conversations. The timing fits cleanly.
Mourinho’s previous spell, despite its tensions, is still remembered for restoring competitiveness at a time when Barcelona were dominant. That memory is now influencing current thinking more than the controversies that followed.
What would José Mourinho actually bring back to the Bernabéu?
His first stint ended poorly. The third season, as Mourinho himself called them years later, were "intense and almost violent" years. His relationships with Sergio Ramos and Iker Casillas fractured badly. He refused to attend his own final press conference as Madrid coach, and even skipped the Copa del Rey final's royal box after being sent off. Nobody pretends it was a clean break.
And yet, Pérez has apparently never fully let go of the idea. Mourinho led Madrid to three consecutive Champions League semi-finals after six years without a knockout win. The president himself acknowledged that the winning run that followed under Zidane and Ancelotti was built on the foundations Mourinho laid. "Now comes the easy part; the hard part is done," Mourinho quoted Pérez as saying when he left in 2013.
Crucially, Mourinho is one of only three coaches out of thirteen appointed by Pérez to last more than a year. The other two, Ancelotti and Zidane, both returned for second spells. Mourinho is the only one who hasn't, yet.
Can Mourinho handle the Vinicius Jr. situation and a divided dressing room?
This is the uncomfortable question Pérez cannot avoid. Mourinho's public criticism of Vinicius Jr.'s goal celebration during the Benfica tie, when the Brazilian had just alleged racial abuse, landed badly inside the club. Thibaut Courtois admitted it disappointed him. Arbeloa, while supportive of Mourinho, said the situation was not straightforward.
Mbappé, by contrast, apparently liked a social media post backing Mourinho's return. The dressing room is split before anything is even confirmed.
Pérez reportedly knows people are advising him against this. His own press conference this week, which some described as unusually conspiratorial in tone, was notably Mourinho-esque in spirit. In a way, that tells you where this is heading. The president and the manager have always been more alike than either would openly admit.
Madrid are gambling on force of personality over recent form. Mourinho has not won a league title since Chelsea in 2015. His past decade has generated more headlines than trophies. But with Barcelona back on top and internal tensions spilling into the open, Pérez appears to have decided this is a moment that needs a particular kind of manager. Whether that logic holds across a full season is another question entirely.
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About the Author: Prantik Prabal Roy is a passionate sports writer who eats, breathes, and lives the game. Since 2020, he has been in the content writing industry after completion of his Master's degree in English literature and covering the NFL since 2024 with sharp insights, while also diving into the NHL and MLB with equal enthusiasm. He loves crafting content that drives traffic without sacrificing quality. He blends storytelling with analysis to keep readers hooked. When he’s not writing, Prantik can be found cheering on the Buffalo Bills or diving into books that celebrate the world of sports.
