José Mourinho Officially Appointed Real Madrid Coach Until 2029

It had been in the air even before Florentino Pérez was re-elected as Real Madrid president, and on Thursday night it became official, José Mourinho is once again Real Madrid manager. The 63-year-old Portuguese signed a three-year contract, until the summer of 2029, and will try to rebuild the Blancos after two trophyless seasons in which Barcelona won La Liga and Real were not close to the decisive stages of the Champions League. His unveiling ceremony is set for July 13.

Even before the official announcement of Mourinho, it was reported that Bernardo Silva had agreed terms with Real Madrid. The Portuguese midfielder had, according to all reports over the past month, been on his way to Barcelona, but it is now being claimed that he wants to play under Mourinho, and the chances of that are high given that both are represented by super-agent Jorge Mendes.

"The Special One" replaces Álvaro Arbeloa on the touchline, after Arbeloa left following a trophyless season. Arbeloa himself took the job only last January, after the brief spell of Xabi Alonso. Mourinho has thus become Real Madrid's fourth coach in less than a year.

In his first spell in Madrid, Mourinho won La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup. The 2011/12 title-winning season is still considered one of the greatest in the club's history, as Real finished with 100 points, 121 league goals and a goal difference of plus 89.

He returns to Spain after a spell at Benfica, which he led to an excellent season on the professional side. However, despite finishing the campaign unbeaten, the team was only third in the Portuguese league, behind Porto and Sporting Lisbon.

Throughout his career, Mourinho has also coached Chelsea, Inter, Manchester United, Tottenham and Roma, and is regarded as one of the most decorated and influential coaches of the last generation. He now gets another chance to bring Real Madrid back to the forefront.