Real Madrid have confirmed the appointment of José Mourinho for a second spell as the club’s coach after ratifying the departure of Álvaro Arbeloa.
The Spanish club confirmed in a statement on Thursday that Mourinho has signed a three-year contract at the Bernabéu.
Mourinho, 63, returns to the Spanish club after a season in charge of Benfica, who had confirmed on Wednesday Madrid were willing to pay the €15 million compensation to release him from his contract in Portugal.
Madrid president Florentino Pérez had made bringing back Mourinho, who left the club in 2013, one of his re-election promises ahead of his victory in last weekend’s vote of club members.
Pérez also pledged the signings of Ibrahima Konaté and Denzel Dumfries, as well as vowing to make a €150 million bid for a ‘Galáctico‘ signing.
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To honour that vow, Madrid announced earlier this week they had offered €150m for Atlético Madrid striker Julián Álvarez, which was subsequently knocked back.
Mourinho returns to Madrid with the task of getting the team back on track after back-to-back trophy-less seasons under first Carlo Ancelotti and then Xabi Alonso and Arbeloa.
The Portuguese coach was last in charge of Madrid between 2010 and 2013, winning one LaLiga title, a Copa del Rey and a Spanish Supercopa. He also reached three Champions League semifinals.
Since he was last at the Bernabéu he has coached Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Roma, Fenerbahçe and Benfica.
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It has been four years since he last won a trophy — the Conference League with Roma — and over a decade since his last league title, the Premier League with Chelsea in 2015.
At Benfica, he went unbeaten in the Portuguese league last season, although that only equated to a third-place finish behind Porto and Sporting.
Mourinho’s Benfica side were also eliminated by Madrid in the Champions League knockout phase playoffs.
