José Mourinho was officially presented this afternoon (September 18) as the new head coach of Portuguese club SL Benfica.
After two days of intense speculation following the sacking of Bruno Lage, the 62-year-old manager has returned to the club where he started his historic career exactly 25 years ago.
His introductory press conference took place at 3.30pm (half an hour late), with Mourinho and Benfica’s press team urging journalists in the room to keep questions short so as to allow him to head to his first practice immediately afterwards.
“So many emotions, but experience helps to control them,” Mourinho said. “I want to thank the club for the trust. Being Portuguese, of course there isn’t a single one of us who doesn’t know the history, the culture of Benfica’s nation and of this club, but I want to make it clear that I have to be able to block out all these emotions and look at Benfica in a very simple way. I am the coach of one of the biggest clubs in the world!”
He continued: “I want to lock myself into this mission, I want to focus not on the difficulties but on the pleasure of what it means to be a coach, to dedicate myself to something so passionate. It’s been 25 years, but I haven’t come here to celebrate a career. It’s been 25 years in which I’ve had the chance to work at the biggest clubs in the world. I want to tell you (president Rui Costa), as the representative of the Benfica fans, that none of the clubs I’ve had the privilege to coach have ever made me feel more motivated than being coach of Benfica. The promise is clear: I will live for Benfica, for my mission. I left home and said, ‘see you Sunday.’ It is a tremendous honour.”
While many fans have expressed their excitement about one of football’s most successful coaches taking charge of Benfica, others believe Mourinho is past his prime – a belief that the coach addressed.
“In some people’s minds, I have two résumés: one that lasted a certain period, and another that, in some people’s eyes, is a less happy phase of my career. My ‘unhappiness’ is that in the last five years I’ve played in two European finals. But I am not what’s important. I come at a stage where, as a person, I’m more altruistic, less egocentric, focused on the joy I can bring to others. I am not important — the Benfica fans are the ones who matter,” the ‘Special One’ said.
“I am here to serve, to make Benfica win. Benfica’s DNA is to win. I identify strongly with the culture, with the profile, with what the people who love football are about. (…) Yesterday, when I was accompanied by some TV motorbikes, you could feel Benfica’s spirit spilling out onto the road — it gives you goosebumps. Twenty-five years at the highest level have not made me immune to all this,” the coach declared.
For Mourinho, his first game back with Benfica cannot come soon enough, though he explained that it will take some time before he can make notable changes to the team’s performance. “I have a match in 48 hours, I’ll find players in recovery, I need to put my finger on things but only very lightly, I cannot be radical. We must begin with this emotional profile: to go onto the pitch knowing we (Benfica fans) are many millions and thinking of them. From a tactical point of view, I will make my adjustments, but in a very controlled way. A lot of good things were done by my predecessor (Bruno Lage).”
Mourinho has signed a two-year contract (until 2027), but with an option for both Mourinho and SL Benfica to terminate the contract at the end of this season. This was a decision that took Benfica’s presidential elections in October into account, giving the next president the leeway to replace the coach if he so desires, or if Mourinho decides to move elsewhere. “It’s a very ethical contract,” he said. “I want to work at Benfica, but I want people to be ‘in the same boat’ as me”.
Speaking before Mourinho, Benfica president Rui Costa celebrated the arrival of one of football’s most decorated coaches, explaining that the club had to make a change following the shocking 3-2 home defeat against Qarabag on Tuesday – which was preceded by a 1-1 home draw against Santa Clara for the Portuguese League over the weekend.
“After the Champions League match, it was our wish to already have a coach in place for the next game. José Mourinho needs no introduction. He returns to a home he knows well, and he is one of the most renowned coaches in the world,” said Costa. “We wanted a coach with a winning résumé, and it would be difficult to find one more extensive than José Mourinho’s. May he be as happy in this house as he has been in all the others. It is an honour, a privilege, and a source of pride to have him as Benfica’s coach.”
Mourinho’s first game in charge of Benfica will be next Saturday against AVS SAD at 6pm.
Mourinho’s career so far
After serving as an assistant coach for nearly a decade, Mourinho was handed his first leading managerial job at Benfica back in September 2000 for a short 11-game stint before leaving due to disagreements with the board. He went on to coach União de Leiria, leading the club to a fifth-place finish in the league. His impressive achievement led him to FC Porto, where he stunned the football world by winning European titles in consecutive seasons (UEFA Cup in 2002/2003 and UEFA Champions League in 2003/2004), along with two Portuguese league titles, a Portuguese Cup and a Portuguese Super Cup.
At Chelsea, he delivered three Premier League crowns across two spells, cementing his reputation in England, where he instantly became a household name for his iconic declaration “I think that I am a special one.” A historic treble followed at Inter Milan in 2010, with Serie A, Coppa Italia, and the Champions League all secured in one season. His time at Real Madrid brought a record-breaking La Liga triumph in 2011-12, along with domestic cups. Later, at Manchester United, Mourinho guided the club to the Europa League, League Cup, and Community Shield. Most recently, he led AS Roma to victory in the inaugural UEFA Europa Conference League in 2022, becoming the first manager to win all three major European competitions, and led the club to the Europa League final the following season.
His latest spell with Fenerbahce ended without titles – and ironically, followed a defeat in the UEFA Champions League playoff just a few weeks ago, precisely against Bruno Lage and Benfica.
