Jose Mourinho been appointed as the head coach of Portuguese club side Benfica just a few weeks after he was sacked by Fernabache.
The former Chelsea and Real Madrid manager was sacked by Fernabache after he lost the UEFA Champions League playoffs to Benfica. However, in the twist of events, he is returning to the club that was responsible for his exit in Turkey.
Benfica confirmed the signing of Jose Mourinho on its website on Thursday, September 18, 2025. According to him, it was the best decision he has made returning to where his coaching career began between September and December 2000
Mourinho replaces Bruno Lage at Benfica after he was sacked following Tuesday’s shock Champions League home defeat to Qarabag of Azerbaijan.
What did Jose Mourinho say about his decision to join Benfica?
“Today I think a lot more about the others. I’m last in line. I am here to serve, I am at a completely different moment as far as maturity. I’m not important. I’m more altruistic, less egocentric. I don’t think about me as much. I think more about what I can do for others. I will only stop when I feel that something has changed,” he said. “And today I feel that I am hungrier than I was 25 years ago. I am now the coach of one of the greatest clubs in the world,” he said. “None of the other giant clubs that I coached in the world made me feel so honoured and motivated as I am now as the coach of Benfica.”
Mourinho will begin his Champions League quest against his former club, Chelsea, where he enjoyed the best of his coaching career. He joined Chelsea during the 2004 summer transfer window after a Champions League success with Porto.
He led the Blues to Premier League titles in 2005 and 2006, plus the 2015 crown in his second stint in charge.