Mourinho and Real Madrid Reach Agreement: The Special One Returns to the White House
José Mourinho, who is still the technical director of Portugal's Benfica, has reportedly reached a verbal agreement with Real Madrid to begin his second stint as strategist at the helm of Los Blancos in the 2026/27 season. The Portuguese has been constantly speaking with Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez over the last month to finalize contract details. The Portuguese coach's return to the Santiago Bernabéu is reportedly delayed by Real Madrid's presidential elections, which Pérez officially announced in a press conference. 'The Special One,' as he became known during his time at Chelsea, aims to return Madrid to the highest level, as he did between 2010 and 2013. After Benfica's final Primeira Liga match of the season, Mourinho acknowledged that managing the Portuguese club was a wise decision to regain his form. 'I made a mistake going to Fenerbahçe, it wasn't my cultural level, it wasn't my football level, it wasn't. Coaching Benfica is returning to my level, and my level is coaching the biggest clubs in the world,' stated Mou, which many interpreted as a farewell. In addition to Mourinho, Madrid seeks continuity within the institution with the current technical director, Álvaro Arbeloa, who took over on an interim basis after Xabi Alonso's departure in January 2026. José Mourinho would welcome the Spaniard to his coaching staff, a move favored by the Real Madrid board. Another significant figure close to returning is Toni Kroos. The team, fifteen-time Champions League winners, has been working quietly to convince one of its most successful former players. Kroos is an icon of the Castilian institution and has always proven to be a great leader in the locker room. The message is clear: Mourinho and Kroos are destined to calm the waters at Madrid and restore order within the most demanding dressing room in football. Spanish coach Xabi Alonso will take the reins at Chelsea in London to lead the project at Stamford Bridge. The Blues have also been adrift during the second half of the 2025/26 season following the sudden dismissal of Italian Enzo Maresca, who won the 2025 Club World Cup. Alonso gave his first words as the blue coach: 'Chelsea is one of the biggest clubs in football, and it fills me with pride to become the coach of this great club.' It is known that since the turn of the century, the Londoners have been one of the clubs with the largest financial power globally. Now, under American Todd Boehly, the team has continued to invest, but it seems not in the right way. The former Bayer Leverkusen coach faces a significant challenge. This will be his first experience in English football, and like José Mourinho, he will have coached Real Madrid and Chelsea in his career. The Spaniard is 44 years old.
