Less than three weeks after being dismissed by Fenerbahce, José Mourinho is again within the dugout. The “Particular One” has taken over at Benfica, marking his return to his dwelling nation greater than twenty years after his transfer from Porto to Chelsea. In an uncommon twist he has signed a contract to June 2027 with a break clause subsequent summer time associated to October's membership presidential election. Will this be a recent begin for Mourinho, or one other step down in his profession?
Hélder Postiga, a former Tottenham ahead and one in every of Mourinho's key gamers at Porto, regards the appointment as a win for a complete nation. Postiga, who scored 5 targets in Porto's triumphant 2003-04 Uefa Cup marketing campaign, believes the coach's return will elevate Portuguese soccer.
“Will probably be nice for the sport right here,” he says. “Mourinho is greater than a person – he's a world model. His presence will spark curiosity and curiosity. Each Benfica and the league will profit from his publicity.”
Mourinho returns to Lisbon 25 years after his temporary and unsuccessful tenure at Benfica within the 2000-01 season, when he managed 11 video games in his first stint as a head coach. He inherits a workforce whose shock dwelling defeat of their Champions League opener by the Azerbaijani facet Qarabag prompted the dismissal of Bruno Lage.
Though Mourinho has not coached in Portugal for 21 years, he has remained intently linked to the nation's soccer scene. He maintained sturdy relationships with its golf equipment and gamers, and the dream of sooner or later managing the nationwide workforce has lingered within the background.
When Benfica made the decision, Mourinho picked up the telephone in Barcelona. He knowledgeable the membership that the curiosity was mutual, put an sudden finish to his trip and bought on the following aircraft to Lisbon to carry talks. The 62-year-old's perception into the gamers and techniques has been helped by having confronted Benfica 3 times this season – as soon as in a pleasant and twice in Champions League playoff matches.
Mourinho's appointment got here as little shock. When Lage spoke to reporters outdoors Benfica's coaching floor after his sacking, he was cautious to not verify particulars however admitted Mourinho was the appropriate option to succeed him and wished his potential successor good luck.
“A very powerful factor is that he's a person that is aware of Benfica in and out,” he mentioned from inside his automobile, swarmed by a military of journalists. “He performed 3 times towards this workforce and is aware of it rather well. He complimented many instances Benfica's lineup and informed me that I used to be a cheerful man [compared with him] regarding the choices I had. Definitely, he will probably be a a lot happier man [than me], with [Heorhiy] Sudakov and Dodi [Lukébakio] arriving to assist out the workforce.”
For Postiga, Mourinho's title alone will stir issues up within the opening weeks however the laborious work that follows will outline his tenure. He praises Mourinho's confirmed potential to construct cohesive, united groups. “Issues should change,” Postiga says. “His title has influence and Benfica's squad has high quality however the ball must enter the objective for issues to work.”
Mourinho's arrival has break up opinion amongst Benfica followers. Whereas many have a good time the return of a world-class coach, others have criticised the president, Rui Costa, for tying the membership to a brand new deal a month earlier than the election.
The transfer ends hypothesis, at the very least till the summer time, a few attainable reunion with Ruben Amorim, a former Benfica participant. Manchester United's head coach stays a fan favorite, and João Noronha Lopes – one in every of Costa's major challengers for the presidency – has been related to the concept of bringing Amorim again. He additionally promised to pursue Bernardo Silva, pledging to draft a contract for the Manchester Metropolis midfielder if elected.
Costa faces three sturdy opponents within the election, together with the previous president Luís Filipe Vieira, who resigned in 2021 after being arrested as a part of the Operation Pink Card investigation into alleged tax fraud and cash laundering. Vieira denies any wrongdoing. With the membership in a turbulent political interval, victories underneath Mourinho will probably be vital to stabilising the ship.
The primary huge home take a look at is looming – and it's private. On 5 October Benfica journey to Estádio do Dragão to face Porto, setting the stage for Mourinho's dramatic return to the membership the place his legend was born.
Past chasing victories, Mourinho has a lot to show. Since 2017 he has delivered one trophy – the Convention League with Roma – and he faces the last word query: does he nonetheless have the sting to be world class, or is the aura of the Particular One fading into the previous?
