Mourinho returns to Real Madrid as Perez wins re-election
Jose Mourinho has been named as Real Madrid's new manager on a three-year deal, the club confirmed, following Florentino Perez's re-election as president. The Portuguese coach returns to the Santiago Bernabeu after 13 years, replacing Alvaro Arbeloa, who has confirmed he will not be coaching the team next season.
Real Madrid announced the appointment in a statement on Thursday, saying Mourinho would join the club on July 13, the day preseason begins. The 63-year-old arrives from Benfica, with the Lisbon club confirming that Real Madrid are paying €15 million ($17.25m) for the coach.
Mourinho previously managed Real Madrid from 2010 to 2013, winning one La Liga championship, one Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup during a period of intense rivalry with Pep Guardiola's Barcelona. Under his guidance, Real Madrid became the first club to reach 100 points in a La Liga season in the 2011-12 campaign.
His return comes after Real Madrid finished a second consecutive season without a major trophy. Barcelona clinched the league title with a 2-0 victory in an 'El Clasico' earlier this month, marking the first time in 94 years that the Spanish league had been decided by a meeting between the fierce rivals. The record 15-time Champions League winners have also failed to clear the quarterfinal stage in the last two seasons.
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Reports of Mourinho's return emerged in the days leading up to the club's presidential election on Sunday. Perez, who has been president for 23 years across two spells, took 65 percent of the votes to defeat his 37-year-old challenger, Enrique Riquelme, the club announced. In his victory speech, Perez said: "We have won the elections and will continue working to keep winning titles." He also expressed pride in welcoming back "one of the best coaches in the world, a Madridista like Jose Mourinho."
Perez had hinted at Mourinho's return during his campaign, releasing a short video on social media featuring Mourinho saying "Yes" to the slogan "So MOUch history to be made." The announcement came ahead of the vote, with Perez declaring he would bring Mourinho back if he won the election.
Arbeloa, who was appointed to replace Xabi Alonso in January, confirmed at a news conference on Friday that he would not be coaching the team next season. He said he would not work as a member of Mourinho's staff if the Portuguese coach were appointed as his successor, stating: "Mou has a fantastic technical team, he's got good people around him, if he comes to Madrid he will come with his team. There's no chance that I would be with him."
Arbeloa, who played at Madrid from 2009-2016 and later coached at the youth level, expressed hope that his departure would be a "see you later" rather than a goodbye, saying: "I've always considered this my home, I've belonged to Madrid for 20 years in various roles."
Key claims
- Jose Mourinho has been appointed as Real Madrid's new coach on a three-year deal, with the club confirming he will join on July 13.
- Florentino Perez has been re-elected as Real Madrid president with 65 percent of the votes, defeating Enrique Riquelme.
- Alvaro Arbeloa will not be coaching Real Madrid next season, and has said he will not work as part of Mourinho's staff.
- Mourinho previously managed Real Madrid from 2010 to 2013, winning one La Liga title, one Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup.
- Real Madrid finished the season without a major trophy, a second consecutive barren campaign.