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Jose Mourinho has returned to Portuguese football for the first time in over two decades, signing as head coach of Benfica on Thursday in a move that brings the veteran manager back to familiar territory after a turbulent period in Türkiye.
The 62-year-old Portuguese tactician agreed to a deal running through the 2026/27 season, though both parties retain the option to terminate the arrangement at the end of the current campaign.
His appointment comes just days after Benfica dismissed Bruno Lage following a stunning Champions League defeat to Azerbaijani side Qarabag earlier this week.
Mourinho's hiring represents a homecoming of sorts for the manager who last worked in Portugal's top flight 21 years ago. The timing of his arrival carries particular significance, as it was his former club Fenerbahce that eliminated Benfica from Champions League qualifying in August — a result that ultimately led to his dismissal from the Turkish side shortly thereafter.
His return to Lisbon sets up immediate confrontations with his coaching past. Mourinho will face Chelsea in Champions League action on Sep. 30, followed by a Portuguese league clash with Porto on October 5 — clubs that defined his early rise to international prominence.
Mourinho's previous stint with Porto ended in 2004 when he departed for Chelsea, launching what would become a decorated but increasingly volatile international coaching career that included successful periods at Real Madrid and Inter Milan before more modest tenures at Manchester United, Tottenham, Roma and Fenerbahce.
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