It's official: Jose Mourinho is back at Benfica. The 62-year-old coach returns to the Estadio da Luz to succeed Bruno Lage, who was sacked after the defeat to Qarabag in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Mourinho had been without a club since being sacked by Fenerbahce, precisely because of their elimination from the Champions League at the hands of Benfica.
He has signed a contract "to run until the end of the 2026/27 season," Benfica said in a statement, with an option for either party to end the deal at the end of the current campaign.
"My promise is I will live for Benfica, live for my mission," Mourinho told reporters at the club's training ground in Seixal, near Lisbon.
"I'm the coach of one of the biggest clubs in the world... I'm not important, Benfica is important, Benfica fans are important. I'm here to serve.
"I feel a huge responsibility, but I feel more alive than ever. I want to win competitions... My desire is to fulfil my two-year contract successfully."
His debut on the Benfica bench comes this Saturday against AFS in the sixth round of the Liga Portugal, where Benfica occupy fourth place with 10 points, five behind FC Porto, but with one game in hand.
Curiously, Mourinho's first European game in charge of the Eagles will be against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, the place where he made his name globally.
Going to Benfica is a return to what was Mourinho's first club as a head coach. He succeeded Jupp Heynckes there back in 2000, but only managed 11 games in charge.
In that stint, he managed six wins, three draws and two defeats. The highlight was the last match in which he emphatically beat Sporting in the derby.
Along with Chelsea, Benfica and Fenerbahce, Mourinho has also managed Porto, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Tottenham and Roma in what is one of the great managerial careers in club football history.
He has won the Premier League, LaLiga, and Portuguese Liga, as well as the Champions League (twice), Europa League and Conference League in his time as a head coach.