Jose Mourinho opens door to Real Madrid return as Fenerbahce boss makes "big fan" claim

The Portuguese coach spent three years at the Santiago Bernabeu, before he left the club at the end of the 2012-13 season.

Mourinho has since gone on to manage five clubs, coaching Chelsea for a second time, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Roma.

The 61-year-old is currently in the Fenerbahce hot seat after he signed a deal in the summer to keep him at the Turkish club until the summer of 2026.

Mourinho took over the reins at Real Madrid in the summer of 2010 after he just led Inter Milan to a treble-winning season.

Mourinho opens door to Real Madrid return

Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti is currently under contract until the summer of 2026, but there has been some speculation that Los Blancos could opt for a change of manager ahead of next season.

In an interview with Cadena SER, Mourinho refused to rule out the prospect of a return to the Santiago Bernabeu if the opportunity presented itself.

"I'll always be a big fan of Real Madrid," Mourinho said. "They have the best coach in the world, my friend Carlo. He's doing very well.

"The future depends on what the president wants, if he wants a young coach with a big projection as Xabi [Alonso] or continue in the same line as Carlo, a coach with experience, or look at the youth section [Madrid Castilla coach] with Raul or [Madrid youth team coach Alvaro] Arbeloa. It depends."

How did Jose Mourinho fare in his time as Real Madrid boss?

Los Blancos ended their 18-year wait for Copa del Rey glory in Mourinho's first season in charge, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring the winning goal in extra-time in the final against Barcelona.

Real Madrid went on to win the league title in 2011-12, racking up 100 points from 38 matches to finish nine points clear of second-placed Barcelona.

Mourinho won another trophy at the start of his final season in the Real Madrid dugout, lifting the Spanish Super Cup after his side beat Barcelona on the away goals rule.

However, the Portuguese coach left his position by mutual consent at the end of the campaign after finishing 15 points behind La Liga champions Barcelona and losing the Copa del Rey final to Atletico Madrid.

If Ancelotti does leave, there is seemingly a belief that Real Madrid will look to appoint one of Mourinho's former players, Xabi Alonso.

But while Alonso may be the favourite, club president Florentino Perez has previously shown he is not against reappointing an experienced manager.

Perez opted to bring Ancelotti back for a second spell in 2021, perhaps offering some hope to Mourinho that a Real Madrid return is possible.

Written by

Ben Sully