Jose Mourinho has agreed to return to Real Madrid, 13 years after his acrimonious departure, as the Spanish giants turn to the Portuguese manager to drag them out of a deepening crisis. Reports indicate that a full agreement has been reached with the 63-year-old, who is currently managing Benfica in his native Portugal, and an official announcement is expected imminently, potentially within the next week.
The deal is made possible by a clause in Mourinho’s contract with Benfica, which reportedly allows him to leave for a fee of €3 million within a 10-day window following the end of the Portuguese season. Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is said to be the driving force behind the move, viewing Mourinho as the ideal figure to restore authority and discipline to a fractured dressing room. Mourinho, for his part, is seeking “absolute sporting control,” a restructured medical department and full disciplinary authority over the squad, aiming to avoid the internal politics that dogged his first spell at the Bernabéu.
Casillas Speaks Out
One of the most prominent voices raised against the return has been that of club legend Iker Casillas, who was dropped from the team under Mourinho during his previous tenure. Casillas took to X last week to make his position clear, writing: “I have no problem with Mourinho. I think he’s a great professional. I just don’t want him at Real Madrid. I believe other coaches would be better suited to manage the club I love. That’s just my personal opinion. Nothing more.”
Casillas’s opposition is deeply personal, rooted in the strained relationship that developed between the two men during Mourinho’s first stint. The goalkeeper was famously benched in favour of Diego López, a decision that fuelled a long-running rift and symbolised a growing divide between Mourinho and the club’s senior Spanish contingent. The tension extended beyond Casillas: Sergio Ramos, another former captain, had a similarly fraught relationship with the manager. During one notorious incident, Ramos wore Mesut Özil’s shirt in solidarity after Mourinho substituted and publicly criticised the German playmaker. Ramos has since downplayed the rumours of Mourinho’s return, saying it “doesn’t annoy me that his name is linked,” but the memory of that period lingers. A photograph from 2012 showing Casillas, Ramos, Mourinho and Perez smiling together now stands in stark contrast to the divisions that have resurfaced.
A Club in Crisis
Mourinho steps into a club reeling from a season that has been described as one of the most turbulent in recent memory. Real Madrid finished trophyless for a second consecutive campaign, losing the La Liga title to a Barcelona side that “steamed” to the championship, and suffering an early exit from the Champions League. The dressing room has been fractured, with reports of a physical altercation between midfielders Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouaméni that resulted in fines and Valverde requiring medical attention. Public disagreements and player dissatisfaction have further eroded morale.
Managerial instability has compounded the problems. Xabi Alonso took charge briefly before Alvaro Arbeloa, the current interim manager, was handed the reins. Arbeloa is unlikely to have his contract renewed after a trophyless season and has acknowledged that the campaign fell below expectations. Perez himself has reportedly taken responsibility for errors in managerial appointments and has called for early club elections, defending his leadership amid the disappointment.
On the pitch, key players have struggled. Vinícius Júnior has seen a decrease in goal contributions compared to previous seasons, while Kylian Mbappé’s integration has been a point of contention, with reports that the French forward is unhappy with his playing time and role. Concerns over squad planning and recruitment have mounted, with the club failing to adequately replace departures such as Karim Benzema, Toni Kroos and Luka Modrić. The medical department, meanwhile, has overseen a high number of major injuries, prompting Mourinho to demand a restructure as part of his conditions for returning.
Mourinho’s managerial journey since leaving Madrid in 2013 has been a mixed one. He won the Premier League and League Cup at Chelsea, the Europa League and League Cup at Manchester United, and the inaugural Europa Conference League at Roma — the latter described by Mourinho himself as the “best place” of his career due to the fan environment. But his tenure at Tottenham ended without a trophy, his spell at Fenerbahçe ended in dismissal in August 2025 after failing to qualify for the Champions League, and his current unbeaten run at Benfica has been undermined by 11 draws that cost the club a place in Europe’s top competition.
Despite the record, Perez sees Mourinho as the man to “reunite everyone after a very difficult season.” The president has already set his sights on potential transfer targets, with reports that Mourinho is eyeing Manchester City’s Rodri as a “world-class” signing to restore tactical balance and rebuild the midfield. The club’s medical structure has come under scrutiny after a high number of major injuries, and there are concerns over recruitment failures since the departures of Benzema, Kroos and Modrić.
