Jose Mourinho in ‘advanced talks’ to return to management at past club 25 years after leaving
Jose Mourinho is in talks over a return to his old club Benfica 25 years after he was first appointed its manager - after the Portuguese giants sacked head coach Bruno Lage.
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The 62-year-old legendary manager is understood to be in ‘advanced talks’ to head back to the Lisbon club, where he was briefly in charge between September and December 2000.
Mourinho, who previously managed Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham, could head back to the Lisbon club, where he was briefly in charge between September and December 2000, although the deal is not yet done.
The Portuguese manager, who has won more than 30 trophies in his career including three Premier League trophies and two Champions League wins, has been out of work for less than a month.
His last coaching post was with Turkish side Fenerbahce, who sacked him last month after they failed to reach the league phase of the Champions League.
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But the self-styled ‘special one’ could make a return to his native Portugal after the Lisbon side sacked head coach Bruno Lage after a disappointing Champions League defeat against Azerbaijani club Qarabag.
Benfica president Rui Costa confirmed Lage had been dismissed in a press conference following Tuesday night's Champions League defeat at the famous Estadio da Luz.
"I believe this is the time for a change, precisely to avoid compromising the season," Costa said.
"And, consequently, the coach who comes in must be a winning coach. A coach representing a club of this size must be one with the ability to bring this team to the levels we demand and give us the titles we desire."
According to football transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano, this winning coach could well be Mourinho.
“Benfica are in advanced talks with José Mourinho after Bruno Lage got sacked overnight,” Romano wrote.
“Understand Mourinho has opened doors to Benfica move as he wants to return to coaching immediately.
“The agreement could be sealed soon,” he added.
If Mourinho were to sign with the club before the weekend, his first game back would fall on quite a coincidental date: Benfica is set to play AVS Futebol on September 20 - 25 years to the day after the club first appointed Mourinho in 2000.
Mourinho first came to prominence at Benfica's domestic rivals Porto, winning the UEFA Cup in 2003 and Champions League in 2004.
He joined Chelsea soon after that Champions League success and steered the Blues to Premier League titles in 2005 and 2006, plus the 2015 crown in his second stint in charge.
He was a Champions League winner at Inter Milan in 2010 and, while he was unable to restore Manchester United to greatness, he did guide them to the Europa League title in 2017.
His time at Tottenham ended without a trophy, though he was sacked days before the team were due to take on Manchester City in the 2021 League Cup final.
He was a Conference League winner at Roma in 2022 before taking charge at Fenerbahce in the summer of 2024.