Jose Mourinho Signs Three-Year Contract To Return As Real Madrid Head Coach

Jose Mourinho has signed a three-year contract to return as head coach of Real Madrid, with the 63-year-old Portuguese manager set to be officially unveiled after the club’s presidential election on June 7.

The deal is described as valid only if incumbent president Florentino Perez, who has been in office since 2009, retains his position.

BBC

Mourinho is leaving Benfica, where he took charge in September and led the Portuguese side to a third-place finish in the Primeira Liga this season.

Real Madrid’s 2025-26 campaign ended trophyless, with rivals Barcelona clinching the La Liga title after a 2-0 El Clasico victory and Bayern Munich knocking Los Blancos out of the Champions League quarter-finals with a 6-4 aggregate win.

He will replace Alvaro Arbeloa, who took over interim duties in January following Xabi Alonso’s departure.

Real Madrid’s presidential election, announced by Perez during an extraordinary press conference earlier this month, is being contested by Enrique Riquelme, a renewables tycoon challenging the incumbent.

The BBC reports that Perez criticised journalists and La Liga and spoke of an "organised campaign" against him, while the election is the first contested one in 20 years featuring a challenger.

BBC

Mourinho’s return is also tied to the outcome of that vote, with the BBC saying his contract will only be valid if Perez remains in his role.

The New York Times reports that Riquelme told The Athletic that Mourinho would not be his choice as the new Madrid head coach, and it says Perez is expected to win the election regardless.

The Athletic’s David Ornstein and Mario Cortegana are cited by theScore as reporting that Mourinho signed a contract through 2029, with Real expected to officially unveil him after the June 7 vote.

Real Madrid’s appointment comes after two successive trophyless seasons, and the BBC frames the situation as a dressing room that is fractured with fights between players and a squad that finished a second consecutive season without a major trophy.

“Jose Mourinho has signed a three-year deal to become Real Madrid's new head coach”

BBC

The BBC’s analysis says the appointment is calibrated for the climate Perez has spent years cultivating at Los Blancos, with the paranoia in the corridors of power at the Bernabeu now set to be in the dugout with Mourinho.

The BBC also links the decision to the expectation that Mourinho can restore authority, identity and emotional control to a fractured squad after a turbulent season.

In theScore’s reporting, Mourinho is still in charge of Benfica and admitted in mid-May that there were talks between Real Madrid and his agent, Jorge Mendes, before the contract details were confirmed.

The New York Times adds that work has already begun on the make-up of Mourinho’s backroom staff and summer recruitment as he prepares to complete his return to the Spanish capital on a deal until June 2029.