Florentino Pérez’s campaign announced late Wednesday that José Mourinho will return as Real Madrid coach if Pérez wins Sunday’s presidential election. The campaign posted on social media the slogan “MOUcha historia por hacer,” accompanied by a short video showing Mourinho in a Real Madrid shirt saying, “Yes.” According to ESPN, Mourinho had already agreed to return, though the timing of any public announcement was in question.
Pérez’s rival, businessman Enrique Riquelme, was appearing on the late-night show El Hormiguero when the campaign announcement broke. Host Pablo Motos informed Riquelme mid-interview that Pérez had confirmed Mourinho’s return; Riquelme replied, “He’s announced him now?” and later said, “Well, he’s had him there once already. I think he’s a good coach.” Riquelme had told the program he would sign Erling Haaland if elected.
Pérez framed the move as a solution to Real Madrid’s recent trophy drought. The club has gone two seasons without a major title and has cycled through three coaches — Carlo Ancelotti, Xabi Alonso and Álvaro Arbeloa — without recapturing top form. Speaking to Spain’s national broadcaster TVE, Pérez listed players including Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior, Jude Bellingham, Arda Güler, Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni as “the best in the world,” and added, “A good coach, with these players, is going to make another very important era in Real Madrid history.”
Mourinho previously managed Madrid from May 2010 to 2013, arriving after winning the Champions League with Internazionale. Under Mourinho, Madrid reached three straight Champions League semifinals, losing to Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, and won LaLiga in 2011-12 with a record 100 points, 121 goals and a +89 goal difference. That season Lionel Messi scored 50 league goals.
The partnership ended after a difficult 2012-13 campaign, when Madrid finished 15 points behind Barcelona and Mourinho described it as “the worst season of my career.” He also clashed with media and senior players such as Iker Casillas and Sergio Ramos; Pérez said in May 2013 that Mourinho was leaving “by mutual agreement” and he was succeeded by Ancelotti.
Pérez has spoken warmly of that era, saying, “We got competitive again,” and noting, “Then we won six Champions Leagues in 12 years,” titles that came under Ancelotti (2014, 2022 and 2024) and Zinedine Zidane’s three-peat (2016, 2017 and 2018). Pérez appears to view Mourinho’s earlier tenure as a foundation for the club’s future direction.
