The storyline around José Mourinho in this European season accelerated sharply after the shock in Lisbon. Qarabağ stunned the Estádio da Luz, Benfica parted ways with Bruno Lage that same night — and immediately switched on the “Mourinho plan.” Negotiations with the Portuguese coach, who had just left his job in Istanbul and dreams of an immediate revenge tour in the Champions League, have reached the home stretch. The irony is rich: the club involved in his recent exit now wants to make him the face of its UCL project.
Domino Effect After Qarabağ
The defeat to the champions of Azerbaijan was the Eagles’ first of the season and worked like an emergency brake. Until then Benfica looked assured on all fronts: they took the Super Cup against Sporting, got past Nice and Fenerbahçe on the road to the league phase of the UCL, and in the league were holding a top-six place with a game in hand. But this European collapse — at home and as favorites — became the turning point after which the board opted to reset the coaching staff.
Deal of the Day: Rui Costa Hurries, José Is Ready
President Rui Costa set a hard deadline — to have someone in place by the next league match. Portuguese outlets report a principles-agreed deal: Mourinho wants to step into the dressing room immediately, without any easing-in period, to take the wheel ahead of a heavy European run. For the 61-year-old, it’s a chance to return to the continent’s top tournament for the first time since 2020 — far too long a pause for a coach with his DNA.
Summer Serial Benfica — Fenerbahçe: The Goal That Sent the Coach Packing
The missing piece of this story was fate’s irony. In UCL qualifying, Benfica got past Fenerbahçe thanks to a goal from Kerem Aktürkoğlu — a player Mourinho himself badly wanted to sign. In the end, Aktürkoğlu’s strike buried José’s Istanbul project, and the player still ended up in Istanbul — only after he had taken the Eagles to the Champions League. Adding to the intrigue is sporting director Mário Branco: in the summer he left Fenerbahçe and returned to Lisbon, and now Mourinho will, by the look of it, reunite with him — this time on the side of a club already holding a UCL ticket.
What Lage Left Behind: Title Race, Cup Finals, and European Solidity
Bruno Lage’s second stint at Benfica began awkwardly but quickly gathered pace. He picked the team up mid-table and hauled it into a title race — the fate of the trophy was decided in the last rounds. In Europe, the Eagles confidently navigated the league phase: there were eye-catching wins over Juventus (2–0) and Atlético (4–0), and in the knockouts they stood up to Barcelona. Domestically, Lage took Benfica to the Cup final and won the League Cup on penalties — against Sporting again. The new season also started lively — hence the sense that the dismissal was less about results in the round and more about the strategic vector.
Why Patience Snapped: Stylistic Gripes and Warning Signs
The board’s frustration wasn’t only about Qarabağ. In the summer, Lage was criticized for cautious football and a back five in the first match with Fenerbahçe, even when the opponent played with ten men. In the league some wins were “thin” — 1–0 over Estrela and 2–1 over Alverca. The 1–1 draw with Santa Clara, played a man up from the 38th minute, was a red flag. Taken together, it created the impression the team lacked aggression and punch — exactly the traits Mourinho teams are renowned for over long tournament marathons.
The Champions League Calls: Stamford Bridge and the Bernabéu on the Horizon
José’s return instantly cranks up the intrigue of the UCL league phase. Very soon he will head to Stamford Bridge — an emotional comeback to Chelsea, where he became the “Special One.” Benfica will close the phase against Real Madrid — another test of maturity. The Lisbon side’s group is loaded with European heavyweights: alongside Chelsea and the Madrid giants are Juventus, Napoli, Ajax, Newcastle, and Bayer. In such a lineup, every point is gold; managerial boldness and discipline are the real currency of survival.
José and Benfica: A Circle Closing After a Quarter-Century
The irony is that Benfica was the launchpad of Mourinho’s independent coaching career. In the autumn of 2000 he arrived after assisting at Barcelona, but stayed only 76 days: a presidential change, promises to bring in Toni, a demand for a long-term deal after a 3–0 thrashing of Sporting — and a parting both sides later regretted. Two years on, Porto saw the winner in him and were rewarded with the Champions League. Now the circle seems to be closing: José returns to where it all began, a seasoned master ready for pressure and the demand for results “here and now.”
What Awaits the Eagles Under Mourinho
If the deal is finalized, Benfica’s tone will change at once. The team will get a coach who can build a compact, mature block without the ball and stage big matches by a scenario where every detail matters: twin roles in the half-spaces, set-pieces, tempo control, pragmatism with a minimal lead. For the UCL league phase, it’s exactly what the doctor ordered. Plus José enjoys a consistently high credit line in the dressing room: clear roles, a transparent hierarchy, and a focus on the result.
Lisbon’s intrigue is unusually dense: the club that sent José on “holiday” now calls him to shape Europe’s autumn. Benfica needs a leader who can turn narrow wins into assured ones and local stumbles into lessons. Mourinho is precisely the type to internalize those lessons best. And if this marriage happens, the Champions League gains the headline arc of the new season — the Special One’s return to the stage where he feels most at home.
