The Benfica coach, José Mourinho assured this Friday that he has not had any contact with Real Madrid, amid rumors about a possible return to the white club.
“I have not had any contact with Real Madrid. Neither with the president nor with any important person in the structure,” said the Portuguese coach in the press conference prior to the match against Estoril.
Mourinho explained that he will not make decisions about his future until the end of the season. He even revealed that he has not yet reviewed the renewal proposal that Benfica presented to him.
“I received a renewal proposal on Wednesday, which was delivered to my representative, Jorge Mendes. I did not want to see it or analyze it. I will do so starting on Sunday,” he indicated.
“Next week will be important for me and for my future,” he added. Asked again about a possible contact with Real Madrid, the coach was blunt: “No.”.
“My agent met with Benfica and told me that he had an official proposal. I asked him to send it to me until Sunday. Regarding Real Madrid, he never told me about any offer. And if he did, I would tell him the same thing,” he explained.
The name of Mourinho has been linked to the white club, where he coached between 2010 and 2013, amid the current context that the team is going through and the difficulties of its coach, Álvaro Arbeloa.
In that sense, the Portuguese showed his support for the Madrid coach, whom he considers close. “Arbeloa gave everything for me as a player. Now, as coach of Real Madrid, I feel even more that connection with the club and the desire for it to do well,” he commented.
He also referred to the demands of the position. “This is the life of a coach. I always joke with my former players who are now coaches and tell them to wait a couple of years to see how many gray hairs they get.”he added.
Mourinho avoided commenting on the recent press conference of the president of Real Madrid, Florentino Pérez. “I didn’t see it. And even if I had seen it, who am I to comment on the words of a president? I never do, and even less so when it comes to someone with Florentino’s career,” he said.
In sports, Benfica, currently third in the Portuguese League, will visit Estoril this Saturday on the last day of the championship, with the intention of finishing in second place, which would allow them to access the qualifying phase of the Champions League.
Mourinho signed a contract with the club last September until next season, with a clause that establishes a period of 10 days after the last game for both parties to decide whether to continue together in the 2026-2027 campaign.