The special one 

José Mourinho preferred choice for next Real Madrid manager - will Bernabéu return work out?

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The latest reports suggest that legendary Portuguese coach José Mourinho is Real Madrid president Florentino Perez’s favoured candidate to replace Álvaro Arbeloa as the next head coach at the Santiago Bernabéu. Spanish former player Arbeloa was appointed in January on an interim basis to replace the sacked Xabi Alonso but is expected to be dismissed at the end of the season, after failing to turn things around for Los Blancos.

The Athletic reports that the decision on who will become Madrid’s next coach is being driven by Perez in contrast to the hiring of Alonso to replace Carlo Ancelotti at the end of last season, a process which was led by Madrid’s general manager Jose Angel Sanchez, but given the green light by Perez. Perez wants to rebuild a project that has fallen into disrepair, with Madrid set to end a second consecutive campaign without winning a major trophy.

Mourinho was manager of Real Madrid between 2010 and 2013. In that period, he won three trophies, including winning the 2011-12 La Liga title by setting a new record points total. The Champions League, a trophy Mourinho has won with Porto and Inter Milan, was the only accolade missing from his spell in the Spanish capital. Mourinho is currently in charge of Liga Portugal side Benfica – his team are unbeaten in the league this season, although are still likely to miss out on the title, with Porto able to wrap it up this weekend with a win.

Mourinho joined Benfica in September and is under contract until June 2027. However, the agreement includes a clause in the region of €3 million, allowing either party to break the deal up to 10 days after the final match of this season. This season, the 63-year-old attracted widespread criticism for his comments after Madrid forward Vinicius Junior alleged he was racially abused by Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni in a Champions League match in Lisbon in February. If he was to return, Mourinho would join the likes of Ancelotti, Zinédine Zidane and Fabio Capello in being re-appointed as Madrid boss.