Jose Mourinho welcomes back a former Real Madrid fan favorite to his coaching team now that his return is official.
Jose Mourinho is getting ready to bring back a former Real Madrid favorite to join his coaching team for his second time at the Santiago Bernabeu.
There were many rumors about Mourinho returning to Real Madrid, and Florentino Perez promised he would hire the 63-year-old if he won the presidential election against Enrique Riquelme.
Perez, who has been leading Real Madrid since 2009 with a second term now, got 65% of the votes in the first election in 20 years that had a real challenger. The 79-year-old said after winning, “I’m here to defend Real Madrid” and added he’s “proud to welcome back one of the best coaches in the world, a true Madridista like Jose Mourinho.”
Since Perez will stay president until 2030, Mourinho is set to leave his current role and sign a three-year contract with Real. After making some requests in talks, Mourinho will bring many of his Benfica coaching staff with him.
But there might be a surprise joining his team. Journalist Ramon Alvarez says that former defender Pepe is “well positioned” to join Mourinho’s coaching staff at Real Madrid. Pepe played 334 times for the club, winning three La Liga titles and three Champions League trophies. The Portugal star also spent three years working with Mourinho and could now join him again as a coach after retiring in 2024.
With Mourinho’s approval, signings like Ibrahima Konate and Denzel Dumfries are also expected to be announced soon.
Mourinho will be officially introduced for the second time on Wednesday. There have been reports about players he doesn’t plan to keep. Alvarez says Mourinho has put six players on the transfer list, including Eduardo Camavinga, Rodrygo Goes, and Franco Mastantuono, who are free to leave. Fran Garcia, Raul Asencio, and Dani Ceballos are also seen as not needed anymore.
However, Samuel Luckhurst reports that Mourinho wants to keep French midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni. Tchouameni had a big fight with Federico Valverde and has been linked to Manchester United. But the latest news is that Mourinho thinks very highly of him and wants him to stay as an important part of the team.