Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has said he will return Jose Mourinho as manager if he wins Sunday’s election.
Published June 3, 2026
Jose Mourinho will return as Real Madrid manager if Florentino Perez wins Sunday’s presidential election, the current president, who is seeking re-election as the La Liga club’s manager, has declared.
Perez, who faces renewable energy entrepreneur Enrique Riquelme in the club’s first election in 20 years, announced his campaign on his social media channels with a short video of Mourinho simply saying “Yes!”.
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The clip follows the slogan “Now history will be made”, a subtle tribute to the Portuguese coach who led Real to La Liga’s points record in 2012 and last won the league title with Chelsea in 2015.
Mourinho’s move follows a disappointing domestic season in which Barcelona won back-to-back league titles.
Real, who have won the Champions League 15 times, have been eliminated from the competition for Europe’s top clubs at the quarter-final stage in the past two seasons, and Perez was forced to make an election due to the absence of key players.
Perez’s announcement was made during an appearance on Spanish TV show El Hormiguero, during which Riquelme said that Manchester City midfielder and Spanish national team captain Rodri would be his first contract if selected.
He said he would also target Manchester City striker Erling Haaland and that former forward and club great Raul would be his sporting director.
Since leaving Chelsea, Mourinho’s trophy haul has become more modest. He won the League Cup and the Europa League with Manchester United before leading AS Roma to the Third Division Conference League title.
His managerial path has also taken him to Tottenham Hotspur, Fenerbahce and Benfica, where his contract runs until June 2027, and he said the Portuguese club had offered him a renewal.
Experts claim the game is beyond Mourinho’s realistic style, but Perez appears to see Mourinho as a manager who will restore discipline and edge to a team that features Kylian Mbappé, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham.
Mourinho has previously said he has had no contact with Real, despite intense reports linking him to a return to the Bernabéu.
If Perez wins the election, Mourinho will return to the club for the first time in 13 years since leaving in 2013.
Mourinho first joined Real Madrid in 2010 and spent three seasons with the club.
During his tenure, he won one La Liga title, one Copa del Rey and one Spanish Super Cup.
Xabi Alonso was sacked by Real in January, his first season at the Madrid club, while Alvaro Arbeloa took charge as interim manager until the end of the season.
