Mourinho agrees two-year deal to return as Benfica manager

Benfica have reportedly reached a two-year agreement with Jose Mourinho to return as manager, 25 years after his first stint at the club. The 62-year-old Portuguese coach has been a free agent since being sacked by Fenerbahce in August after they failed to qualify for the Champions League. His availability had triggered a wave of speculation over his next destination, with Benfica moving quickly after they dismissed Bruno Lage. Mourinho was seen arriving in Portugal on Wednesday night, flying in from Barcelona, as talks intensified.

According to Sky Sports, Mourinho has been offered and accepted a two-year contract to coach Benfica, the club that gave him his first managerial job in 2000. In that first spell, he managed just 10 games before a leadership change at the top of the club led to his resignation and a move to Uniao de Leiria, where he began a climb that would take him to Porto, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Inter Milan. Mourinho has long been associated with elite European clubs, and the Benfica link has added intrigue given the team’s recent results and ambitious stature.

Benfica’s decision to change coaches came after a shock Champions League defeat to Qarabag earlier this week. The club’s president, Rui Costa, said they had reached an agreement for Lage to step down and that the club would have a new coach on the bench for the Vila das Aves game the following Saturday. Costa emphasized that the coach must be a winner capable of lifting Benfica to the required standard and declined to comment on potential candidates beyond confirming the change. Benfica currently sit sixth in the Portuguese top flight, five points off leaders Porto, and face Vila das Aves in the weekend fixture, while hoping Mourinho’s return can help them navigate a busy period that also includes European competition.

The development comes as Benfica prepare for a Champions League clash at Chelsea later this month, a fixture that will heighten the spotlight on Mourinho’s potential return to the club where he cut his teeth as a young manager more than two decades ago. Mourinho, who has also led Manchester United, Tottenham and Roma, has not commented publicly beyond brief remarks upon arrival in Portugal, saying he would be open to a conversation when he returned home and that his decision would be based on whether the club could match his ambitions and work ethic.

Mourinho’s career trajectory has been marked by high-impact successes and high-profile chapters at multiple top clubs. His reported return to Benfica would bring a storied figure back to a club he once served in his earliest managerial role, a prospect that the Portuguese side hope will spark a resurgence as they chase domestic titles and a renewed European push.