MADRID: Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid return had already been underway for several weeks, but on Tuesday the club made it official with an understated ceremony at their training centre for a second coming loaded with nostalgia, risk and unfinished business.

The Portuguese manager, who began work with the squad when pre-season started on July 10, signed a contract until June 2029 in the boardroom of Ciudad Real Madrid alongside club president Florentino Perez and honorary president Jose Martinez Pirri.

For a club accustomed to spectacle, the silence was almost the statement.

Real are heading into the new LaLiga season after two consecutive years without a trophy, with Perez, recently re-elected but far from the untouchable figure of old, facing growing scrutiny from an impatient fanbase.

Mourinho framed his return as something more significant than a job.

“This is coming home. Emotionally, it’s even better than the first time because back then it was a feeling of reaching the very top of the world, whereas now it’s more emotional and heartfelt,” Mourinho told the club’s official television channel.

“I’m one of you; I always have been, and you can imagine what it means to me to work for Real Madrid. This is a maxim that everyone must follow: working for Real Madrid, which means working for you.”

Mourinho previously managed Real from 2010 to 2013, winning La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup during a combustible spell that brought silverware, confrontation and a lasting imprint on the club.

Now he returns from Benfica after Perez oversaw one of Real’s most aggressive transfer windows in years, bringing in Yan Diomande, Marc Cucurella, Bernardo Silva, Ibrahima Konate, Denzel Dumfries and Carlos Espi, with a long-awaited multi-year contract extension for winger Vinicius Jr.

The new signings are also expected to be presented privately in the coming days, following the same closed-door format used for Mourinho.

The approach reflects a club intent on shielding themselves before Saturday’s La Liga opener against Espanyol in Barcelona.

Mourinho said his task was not personal glory but rebuilding standards.

“Words aren’t enough... because it’s like a mission,” he said. “I’m here to help everyone be better: players, staff... To create a culture of hard work, responsibility, ambition and something I know well, which is the responsibility and honour of working for Real Madrid.”

Once known as “The Special One”, Mourinho returns with plenty to prove after 11 years without a league title and four without a trophy.

Published in Dawn, August 19th, 2026