He’s back! Jose Mourinho is set to return to Real Madrid, and manage the club for a second time. According to The Telegraph, Mourinho is “now on the verge of making a sensational return to the Santiago Bernabeu,” with the official appointment expected to be finalized once Benfica’s season concludes next week.
An official announcement, from the club is expected to come shortly after that. Team President Florentino Perez is said to be the driving force in bringing The Special One back to the place where he won three trophies from 2010-2013 (La Liga, Copa Del Rey, Supercopa de Espana).
Real Oviedo at Real Madrid FYIs
Kickoff: Thurs. May. 14, 9:30pm, Estadio Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain
La Liga Position, Form: Real Madrid 2nd, with FC Barcelona crowned champions Real Oviedo 20th, already relegated
Real Madrid Team News: go here
Google Result Probability: Real Madrid 75% Draw 15% Real Oviedo 10%
Mourinho takes over a Los Blancos side that will finish trophyless for the second consecutive season. This past Sunday saw Madrid officially eliminated from La Liga contention in the El Clasico loss at the Camp Nou. While the Portugese trophy machine was strongly linked with a return to Madrid in 2019, it just didn’t materialize. Now it finally has.
Interim head coach Alvaro Arbeola has only three matches left in charge- tomorrow night at home versus Real Oviedo, May 17 at Sevilla and then finally at home to Athletic Club.
The season began with Xabi Alonso as the manager, but he was sacked after just 34 matches. Needless to say, he was a huge disappointment. Mourinho had a 71.9% win poercentgae during his time at the Bernabeu.
That’s the highest of the 12 different managerial stints (with 10 different clubs in five different countries) that he’s had over the course of his career.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, Ratings and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.