Portugal woke up to the news this morning that José Mourinho – the country’s most successful football coach of all time – is set for a homecoming.
Mourinho, 62, is heavily rumoured to be in advanced talks to take over as the new head coach of SL Benfica – the club where he started his illustrious career exactly 25 years ago – after Bruno Lage was sacked late last night following a shocking 3-2 Champions League home defeat to Qarabag.
During a press conference to announce the decision, Benfica president Rui Costa said he hadn’t been in contact with any coach yet but added that he hopes the next coach will already be at the helm of the team next Saturday for Benfica’s away match against AVS SAD.
“The next Benfica coach must be a winner. He must be a coach who represents a club of this size,” said Costa – a description that seems to fit Mourinho.
The hiring of Mourinho is set to happen just over a month before Benfica’s upcoming presidential elections, adding further drama to the decision.
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.
