Benfica to hire Mourinho as new manager, Portuguese TV station RTP reports
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Sukru Saracoglu Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey - January 23, 2025. Jose Mourinho before a match REUTERS/Dilara Senkaya/File Photo
LISBON : Portuguese club Benfica are set to name Jose Mourinho as their manager following the sacking of Bruno Lage in the aftermath of their 3-2 Champions League defeat by Qarabag, Portuguese TV station RTP reported on Wednesday.
Benfica said in a statement on Wednesday they had reached an agreement to part ways with Lage following their shock loss to the Azerbaijani side.
Former Chelsea, Real Madrid and Inter Milan manager Mourinho left Turkish club Fenerbahce in August, two days after his side crashed out of the Champions League playoffs to Benfica.
Benfica did not immediately respond to an emailed request seeking confirmation of Mourinho's appointment.
A move to Benfica would bring Mourinho's remarkable career full circle, with the 62-year-old having begun his managerial career at the club before moving to rivals FC Porto and guiding them to Champions League glory in 2004.
From Porto he moved to Chelsea, famously describing himself as "the Special One" in a press conference to announce his arrival in the Premier League.
He won the Premier League titles in 2005 and 2006 in his first spell with Chelsea, before adding a third crown in the 2014-15 season during his second stint at the club.
He joined Inter in 2008 and won the Champions League in 2010 to complete an unprecedented treble with the Serie A side.
The Portuguese coach, who also won trophies at Real Madrid, AS Roma and Manchester United, will be tasked with returning Benfica to the summit of Portuguese football.
The Lisbon-based club have finished second in the last two seasons of the Primeira Liga behind city rivals Sporting CP.
They are sixth with 10 points from four matches and next travel to face AVS Futebol SAD in the league on Saturday.
If appointed, Mourinho would cross paths with two of his former clubs in the Champions League group stage, with Benfica set to face Chelsea on September 30 and Real Madrid in January.
