Real Madrid have appointed Jose Mourinho as their new head coach on a three-year contract, bringing the Portuguese manager back to the Spanish capital 13 years after he left.
The 63-year-old arrives from Benfica after the club paid a 15 million euro ($17.25m) release clause. He'll officially start work on July 13 when preseason begins.
Mourinho replaces Alvaro Arbeloa, who couldn't stop Real Madrid from finishing a second straight season without a major trophy. The club fell behind domestic rivals Barcelona and saw dressing room tensions spiral out of control.
In May, midfielder Fede Valverde was treated in hospital after a physical confrontation with teammate Aurelien Tchouameni. That was just one flashpoint in a troubled season where coaches Carlo Ancelotti, Xabi Alonso, and Arbeloa all failed to make the star trio of Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappe, and Jude Bellingham work together without upsetting the team's balance.
Mourinho previously managed Real Madrid between 2010 and 2013, winning La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the Spanish Super Cup. His 2011-12 side became the first club to reach 100 points in a La Liga season. But he also divided the dressing room — some players were fiercely loyal, while others clashed with him.
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez credited Mourinho with laying the groundwork for the club's last six Champions League titles, won after the Portuguese left. Perez said in May he'd bring Mourinho back if re-elected — and he won the election earlier this month.
"(Real Madrid have) agreed to appoint Jose Mourinho as the first team's head coach for the next three seasons, until June 30, 2029," the club said in a statement.
Mourinho's return marks a jump back to Europe's elite after years away from the top. He burst onto the scene by winning the Champions League with Porto in 2004, then led Chelsea to back-to-back Premier League titles. He called himself the "Special One" as his team dominated England.
He guided Inter Milan to a historic treble in 2010, including the Champions League, before Madrid hired him to stop Pep Guardiola's Barcelona. He succeeded to an extent but left a fractured squad and disrupted harmony in the Spanish national team.
After Madrid, Mourinho returned to Chelsea and won the Premier League in 2015. Then came modest spells at Manchester United, Tottenham, and Roma. He won the EFL Cup and Europa League with United in 2017, and the Conference League with Roma in 2022 — that's his only major trophy in the last eight years.
He was sacked by Turkish side Fenerbahce in August 2025 after failing to get past Benfica in a Champions League qualifier. Benfica then appointed him the following month. He led them through an unbeaten league campaign, but they finished third.
Mourinho is now charged with bringing Real Madrid's dressing room egos in check. Known for ruling with an iron fist, he must find a way to make the team's expensive stars perform together and end Barcelona's dominance in Spain.