Unbeaten with Benfica
©IMAGO
Portuguese coach José Mourinho has put a damper on speculation about a possible move from Benfica Lisbon to Real Madrid. “No, no one from Real Madrid has spoken to me, I can guarantee that,” answered the 63-year-old when asked during a press conference whether he would be joining Los Blancos this summer.
He couldn’t say anything further about it. Mourinho added that it is also known that his contract with Benfica runs for another year. He took over the post in Lisbon in September 2025 as the successor to Bruno Lage, who was relieved of his duties after a Champions League defeat. The Portuguese, who coached Real from 2010 to 2013, was described in a report by “The Athletic” during the week as the preferred solution of President Florentino Pérez, who had once released him from Inter Milan. According to media reports, “The Special One” himself is very open to a move from Benfica to Madrid, it was said.
Mourinho was Real Madrid coach from 2010 to 2013. During this time he won three titles, including the 2011/12 championship, where he set a record with 100 points. The Champions League, a title Mourinho won with Porto and Inter Milan, was the only award he lacked during his time in the Spanish capital. He is unbeaten in the league with Benfica this season but is still likely to miss out on the title as Porto can win it this weekend.
His contract in Lisbon is valid until 2027, but reportedly contains a clause worth around 3 million euros that allows both parties to end the relationship up to ten days after the last game of the season. Should he return to Madrid, Mourinho would join Carlo Ancelotti, Zinédine Zidane, Fabio Capello and Alfredo di Stéfano, all of whom have been coached by Real Madrid at least twice.
Arbeloa has also been under pressure at Real for a long time
Real coach Álvaro Arbeloa has only been in charge of the Real team since January. Still, Xabi Alonso’s successor is already under intense pressure, with the club eliminated by Bayern Munich in the Champions League, an early failure in the Copa del Rey and trailing Barcelona by 11 points in La Liga. In addition to Mourinho, the speculative sports press also names Zinédine Zidane, Didier Deschamps, Mauricio Pochettino, Jürgen Klopp and Massimiliano Allegri as possible Arbeloa successors.
