José Mourinho Reportedly Agrees to Real Madrid Return, New Rumors on Contract & Benfica Compensation

He's back.

ESPN's Bruno Andrade and Alex Kirkland reported José Mourinho agreed to a two-year contract with Real Madrid to be their next manager.

Madrid will pay €7 million to Benfica, Mourinho's current club, in order to buy him out of his current deal.

The 63-year-old previously led Los Blancos for three seasons from 2010-13. The period epitomized his life cycle at a given club.

In 2010-11, Real Madrid was runner-up to Barcelona in La Liga, finishing just four points behind the champion. A run to the Champions League semifinals accompanied the domestic result.

The following season, Madrid became a colossus. It was the first Spanish team to amass 100 points and scored 121 goals in the league, the latter being quite the contrast from the defense-first identity Mourinho's clubs had established.

By Year 3, everything unraveled.

Madrid was a distant second to Barcelona in La Liga. Mourinho once again failed to deliver the 10th Champions League title everyone at the club coveted from the moment he arrived. And the manager fell out with almost every major figure in the Spanish capital.

At his peak, Mourinho's dictatorial approach was undoubtedly successful but wore on his players over time, and that was perhaps never more evident that at Real Madrid.

A reunion makes sense from the standpoint that the club needs to reset the internal culture.

Real Madrid will always indulge its marquee stars to a certain degree. The pendulum has shifted too far in that direction, though, and there's a clear leadership vacuum. Madrid doesn't equal the sum of its parts on the pitch, and the situation off the pitch is even worse.

Mourinho has the gravitas and demeanor to theoretically bring the dressing room back in line. His appointment could instead backfire spectacularly.

For one, "The Special One" has been anything but in the dugout in recent years. His last league title was back in 2014-15 with Chelsea. Since taking Inter Milan to a Champions League title in 2009-10, his European medals are limited to a Europa League triumph in 2016-17 with Manchester United and claiming the Europa Conference League with Roma in 2021-22.

The management techniques that worked for Mourinho at previous clubs may not be effective anymore, either. Look no further than how much resistance Xabi Alonso faced when he tried to be sterner than his predecessor, Carlo Ancelotti.

Mourinho may also need to mend some fence on Day 1 considering the criticism he received for his response to allegations of Madrid star Vinícius Júnior being racially abused in a UCL match against Benfica this season.

Real Madrid never suffers for a lack of attention in a given season. Each of its matches will be appointment viewing with Mourinho back on the touchline.