José Mourinho has agreed terms to return as Real Madrid head coach on a two-year deal, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano confirmed on Monday, bringing an end to the 63-year-old’s tenure at Benfica.
Romano, posting on X, reported that all terms had been verbally settled and that Mourinho would travel to Madrid following the club’s final La Liga fixture against Athletic Bilbao to complete procedural formalities ahead of an official announcement.
“The Special One is back,” Romano wrote.
Mourinho’s return ends a turbulent chapter under Alvaro Arbeloa, who took interim charge in January after Xabi Alonso departed. Arbeloa’s numbers told a damaging story: 15 wins, two draws and eight defeats across his stint, a record that never convinced club president Florentino Perez or the Madrid board.
The final blow came at the weekend, when Barcelona handed Madrid a 2-0 defeat that simultaneously handed their rivals the La Liga title, deepening the board’s urgency to act decisively in the dugout.
Mourinho’s first spell at the Bernabeu ran from 2010 to 2013 and produced the La Liga title, the Copa del Rey and the Supercopa de España. His return arrives as Madrid look to rebuild authority in Spain and reassert their standing in Europe.
The signing represents one of the most high-profile managerial reunions in recent football history, uniting a club in need of direction with a manager who has won league titles in four different countries.
