The likelihood of Jose Mourinho returning to Real Madrid

23/02/2026 10:06:00 pandatv

Jose Mourinho will never take charge of Real Madrid again after the racial abuse incident related to Vinicius Jr.

The chances of Jose Mourinho coming back to manage Real Madrid were already slim, but according to Spanish media, this door is now almost completely closed after his comments regarding the Vinicius Jr. incident. The Benfica coach will miss the bench at Bernabéu in the Champions League knockout second leg due to suspension. It also seems unlikely he will have another opportunity to take the "hot seat" at the Royal Club in the future.

ANH (3) — Jose Mourinho will never manage Real Madrid again following the racial discrimination controversy involving Vinicius Jr (Photo: The Sun).

The newspaper AS reported that Real Madrid do not consider Mourinho a viable option to replace Xabi Alonso as the next official head coach. For now, Alvaro Arbeloa has been tasked with stabilizing the situation and holds a contract until the end of next season. Even before the tensions in Portugal last week, Mourinho had stated: “There is absolutely no chance” of him returning to lead Los Blancos.

In the first leg, Real Madrid won 1-0 against Benfica thanks to a brilliant goal from Vinicius Jr. However, during the celebration, the Brazilian star and some teammates accused Gianluca Prestianni of making racist remarks towards him.

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After the match, Mourinho faced heavy criticism for apparently blaming Vinicius Jr in his statements. He said: “When you score a goal like that, you should celebrate respectfully. That’s what I believe. I think Vinicius provoked the crowd. Regarding the exchanges between Gianluca Prestianni and Vinicius, I want to remain impartial. I saw two completely different things. I want to stay neutral and not comment further. I told him directly: when you score such a goal, just celebrate and then move on.

When he mentioned racism, I reminded him that the greatest legend in this club’s history is Eusebio, a black man. This club is not a place for racist thinking. If he associates anything like that, it is with Benfica.”

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On his part, Prestianni issued a statement denying the allegations: “I want to clarify that I never made any racist remarks towards Vini Jr. He may have misunderstood what he heard. I have never engaged in any racist behavior against anyone and I regret receiving threats from Real Madrid players.”

Nevertheless, the relationship between Mourinho and president Florentino Perez is said to be quite close, mainly through messages. However, this is unlikely to lead to a professional reunion between them.

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UEFA nhận lời khai gây sốc, Vinicius Jr không phải bị gọi là 'con khỉ'

UEFA receives shocking testimony: Vinicius Jr was not called a 'monkey' Gianluca Prestianni provided testimony in UEFA’s investigation regarding the accusation of racial abuse directed at Vinicius Júnior during the Champions League playoff between Real Madrid and Benfica this week, according to ESPN. See also

The chances of Jose Mourinho returning to manage Real Madrid were already low, but according to Spanish media, this door is now almost completely closed after his statements about the Vinicius Jr incident. The Benfica coach will not be on the bench at Bernabéu for the Champions League knockout second leg due to suspension. It also appears he will not have a future opportunity to take the "hot seat" of the Royal Club.

Jose Mourinho will never manage Real Madrid again following the racial discrimination controversy involving Vinicius Jr.

The newspaper AS reported that Real Madrid do not see Mourinho as a feasible candidate to replace Xabi Alonso as the next official head coach. For now, Alvaro Arbeloa has been assigned to stabilize the situation and has a contract until the end of next season. Even before the tensions in Portugal last week, Mourinho confirmed: “There is absolutely no chance” of him returning to lead Los Blancos.

In the first leg, Real Madrid secured a 1-0 victory over Benfica thanks to a superb goal by Vinicius Jr. However, during celebrations, the Brazilian star and some teammates accused Gianluca Prestianni of making racist remarks towards him.

After the match, Mourinho faced criticism for apparently blaming Vinicius Jr in his comments. He said: “When you score a goal like that, you should celebrate respectfully. I believe that. I think Vinicius provoked the crowd. Regarding the exchanges between Gianluca Prestianni and Vinicius, I want to remain impartial. I saw two completely different things. I want to remain neutral and not comment further. I told him directly: when you score such a goal, just celebrate and then move on.

When he talked about racism, I reminded him that the greatest legend in the club’s history is Eusebio, a black man. This club is not a place for racist thoughts. If he associates anything like that, it is with Benfica.”

Prestianni, for his part, issued a statement denying the accusations: “I want to make it clear that I never made any racist remarks toward Vini Jr. He may have misunderstood what he heard. I have never engaged in racist behavior against anyone and I regret receiving threats from Real Madrid players.”

Still, the relationship between Mourinho and president Florentino Perez is considered quite close, mainly through messaging. However, this is unlikely to result in a professional reunion between the two.