Jose Mourinho has made his return to the Portuguese club, Benfica, as their coach until 2027. The Only One is going back to a team where he first began his managerial career 25 years ago. Jose, who served as an assistant to Sir Bobby Robson and later to Louis Van Gaal at Barcelona for four years, departed in 2000 to pursue his own path, signing a six-month contract with Benfica.
There were numerous doubts regarding the 37-year-old, who based his contract on the re-election of then club President, Azevedo. His inaugural match resulted in a 0-1 defeat to Boavista on September 23, 2000. Mourinho was assured a two-year contract if Azevedo was re-elected; unfortunately, he lost, and the Portuguese coach resigned after 11 matches (6 wins, 3 draws, 2 losses) amid a boardroom crisis.
With over 1000 matches and numerous trophies to his name, Football Heritage returns to its roots.
Benfica is set to visit Stamford Bridge on September 30 to face one of his former clubs in the UEFA Champions League group stage.