Official: José Mourinho returns to Real Madrid

José Mourinho is now officially the new coach of Real Madrid. The Portuguese coach returns to the club 13 years later with the goal of putting the team’s poor season behind them and getting them back on track.

The contract between Mourinho and Real Madrid will run until 2029, according to an announcement by the club.

Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez chose Mourinho to be the cornerstone of the new sports project, contingent on his victory in the club elections.

Once he managed to defeat Enrique Riquelme at the polls last weekend, the Real Madrid president wasted no time in pulling the strings to formalize the Portuguese coach’s arrival, thus marking the beginning of a new era on the sidelines of Santiago Bernabéu.

Mourinho’s First Stint at Real Madrid

The summer of 2010 marked an absolute turning point in Real Madrid’s modern history. The club was coming off a painful trophy-less season and watched helplessly as its eternal rival, FC Barcelona—led by Pep Guardiola—dominated the European soccer scene. To make matters worse, the Madrid squad was plagued by a devastating European curse: it had failed to advance past the round of 16 in the UEFA Champions League and eight without winning the trophy in their favorite competition.

Manuel Pellegrini, then coach of Real Madrid, was fired after failing to win any trophies, and Pérez decided to take decisive action. The president entrusted the reins of the new project to Mourinho, who had just won the UEFA Champions League with Inter Milan. Both were clear: the goal was to return to the pinnacle of European soccer and overthrow the hegemony of their eternal rival.

"I don’t know if I was born to coach Real Madrid, but I do know I was born to be a soccer coach. I like big challenges," Mourinho said on May 31, 2010, during his presentation as Real Madrid’s new head coach.

Mourinho built a signature team: direct, disciplined, rock-solid in defense, and lethal on the counterattack. He developed stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema, and bolstered the squad with the signings of Ángel Di María, Mesut Özil and Sami Khedira.

The Portuguese coach spent three seasons at Real Madrid. During his tenure, Mourinho won three titles: the 2011 Copa del Rey, the historic '100-point league title and 121 goals' in 2012, and the Spanish Super Cup in 2012. Although he did not win the UEFA Champions League, he managed to break through the psychological barrier of the round of 16, reaching three consecutive semifinals and returning Real Madrid to the competitive top tier of Europe. Additionally, he went head-to-head against what is considered the best FC Barcelona team in history.