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Real Madrid Appoints Mourinho, Fulfills Pérez’s Election Promise

6/12/2026

38 5 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

Real Madrid hired José Mourinho as head coach on a three-year contract, joining the club on 13 July and fulfilling President Florentino Pérez’s election promise.
The club paid €15 million to Benfica to release Mourinho.
Pérez was re-elected with 65 % of the vote and had pledged to bring Mourinho back.
Real Madrid ended the 2025-26 season without a trophy, finishing second to Barcelona and exiting the Champions League in the quarter-finals.

History

Historical Context

Real Madrid’s latest high-profile managerial appointment continues a pattern set when Lorenzo Sanz hired Fabio Capello in 1996, who secured the 1997 La Liga title by edging Barcelona by two points. Florentino Pérez’s own 2000 election was built on a Galácticos-style overhaul, underscoring the club’s long-standing reliance on marquee coaches to end trophy droughts.

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Story summary

Real Madrid hired José Mourinho as head coach on a three-year contract, joining the club on 13 July and fulfilling President Florentino Pérez’s election promise.
The club paid €15 million to Benfica to release Mourinho.
Pérez was re-elected with 65 % of the vote and had pledged to bring Mourinho back.
Real Madrid ended the 2025-26 season without a trophy, finishing second to Barcelona and exiting the Champions League in the quarter-finals.

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