Real Madrid have confirmed the appointment of José Mourinho as head coach on a three-year contract, the club announced on Thursday, returning the 63-year-old to the Bernabéu 13 years after his first spell ended.T1, Real Madrid official
No fee or compensation figures have been disclosed. Mourinho leaves Benfica with the move structured as a straight managerial appointment, and the Guardian reported that Marco Silva has agreed a deal to replace him in Lisbon.T2, The Guardian Terms of the Real Madrid contract beyond its three-year length have not been made public.
The Guardian carried the confirmation on Thursday, reporting that the appointment closes a season of upheaval at the Bernabéu. Xabi Alonso was sacked in January amid player unrest, with Álvaro Arbeloa installed as interim head coach.T2, The Guardian Arbeloa could not arrest the slide; Real Madrid went out of the Champions League to Bayern Munich at the quarter-final stage and finished well adrift of Barcelona in La Liga.T2, The Guardian The dressing-room picture deteriorated further when Fede Valverde required hospital stitches after a confrontation with teammate Aurélien Tchouaméni.T2, The Guardian
Mourinho managed Real Madrid from 2010 to 2013, winning the 2011 Copa del Rey and the 2011-12 La Liga title before departing by mutual consent. His return makes him the most prominent piece to move in a manager market that has already churned through three of Europe’s biggest benches this cycle, and it puts a Champions League rebuild in the hands of the man who last delivered Real Madrid a league title over Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona.
Still open: the date of Mourinho’s formal presentation, the composition of his backroom staff, and official confirmation from Benfica of both his departure and Silva’s arrival. Real Madrid’s announcement did not address summer recruitment plans, which now pass to Mourinho with the transfer window open.
