Jose Mourinho signed his contract last week to become Real Madrid's next head coach on a deal that runs until June 2029, a move that brings the Portuguese manager back to the club where he last worked from 2010 to 2013.
That development is why real madrid news has spiked: the deal was completed ahead of a presidential vote and Madrid fans and markets are waiting for formal confirmation after the June 7 election that Florentino Perez triggered on May 12.
Mourinho, 63, told those close to him he wanted to wait until the final game of the season before finalising his future. "I wanted to wait until their final game of the season — the 3-1 win over Estoril on May 16 — before finalising my future," he said. His previous spell at the club produced three domestic trophies, including the 2011-12 La Liga title achieved with a record points total, the record that remains part of his legacy at the Bernabeu.
Work has already begun on the backroom structure and summer recruitment that would accompany his return, signalling an immediate plan to reshape a squad that has finished a second consecutive season without a major trophy. Those recruitment moves, and choices about coaching staff, are being prepared now so they can be implemented quickly if the contract becomes operative.
The deal carries a legal and political hinge: it will only become valid if Florentino Perez wins the presidential election on June 7. The agreement signed last week is therefore conditional; club insiders expect a formal announcement only after the vote. Until Perez secures the presidency, Mourinho’s return remains a signed intention rather than an operative appointment.
That condition matters for personnel inside the squad — most visibly Vinicius Junior, who scored 22 goals for Real Madrid in all competitions this season. Mourinho’s reported conversations with Vinicius after the February Champions League clash with Benfica have been singled out as a signal that the manager intends to build a working relationship with the winger. The February match itself involved a lengthy stoppage under UEFA’s anti-racism protocol after Vinicius alleged he had been racially abused by Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni; play stopped for almost 10 minutes, Prestianni was suspended for the second leg and ultimately handed a six-match ban, with UEFA concluding there was insufficient evidence to prove the alleged racist remark while disciplining a homophobic insult Prestianni admitted directing at Vinicius.
Alvaro Arbeloa, who stepped in after Xabi Alonso was sacked in January, confirmed on May 22 that the game against Athletic Club a day later would be his last in the role — an interim finish that leaves the coaching post formally open pending the outcome of the election. That creates a narrow window: if Perez wins, the club can move immediately to register Mourinho, install his staff and begin executing summer transfers; if he loses, the signed terms could be voided or renegotiated under different leadership.
The most consequential unanswered question is therefore political rather than sporting: will Florentino Perez win enough support on June 7 to validate the deal he has backed? The answer will decide whether Mourinho walks back into the job as a functioning coach or remains a pending appointment on paper. For Vinicius Junior — 22 goals this season and recently at the center of one of Europe’s highest-profile incidents — the match on June 7 could determine who will be guiding the next phase of his career at Madrid.
