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The Portuguese giants have formally hired Jose Mourinho as their head coach under a contract lasting to the end of the 2026-27 season

Mourinho, 62 years old, takes over from Lage, who was let go after the surprising Champions League defeat to Qarabag earlier this week

Ex-Chelsea manager comes back to football management under four weeks after leaving by Fenerbahce after a European play-offs loss by his current team Benfica

He launched his coaching journey at Benfica over two decades ago but oversaw a mere ten fixtures and left due to a dispute with the board

His new deal for Benfica features an option for the club and Mourinho to decide to part ways for another season within ten days after the conclusion of the 2025-26 season

The former boss was removed although losing a single loss throughout all leagues so far this term and the new manager inherits a squad that are placed the sixth spot in the Portuguese top flight, five points adrift of leaders Porto, but having played one less match

His first game for the Lisbon-based club is this weekend at 18:00 BST when they play away at struggling AVS

Managerial Journey

He rose to prominence in a stint managing Porto from 2002 and 2004 when he won six trophies, featuring the European Cup in 2004

Since leaving his Portugal in 2004, Mourinho has managed the Blues, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Roma and Fenerbahce

Once they fired Lage on Tuesday, Benfica president Costa said the replacement must have the "track record of success"

Mourinho certainly fits that description, having won 21 major trophies, with his most recent success coming in the Europa Conference League with Roma in 2022

Mourinho, who once coined the moniker 'the special one' back in 2004, returns to Chelsea’s home to play against Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League on September 30

Future Fixtures

Benfica also play away at Newcastle and host another of his former teams Real Madrid in the league phase of the competition

The club ended up runner-up in the Primeira Liga 2023-24 and last won the title in 2022-23

Mourinho experienced a difficult time during his stay in Turkey and was frequently in conflict with the level of refereeing

Earlier this season, the coach criticized Fenerbahce for just informing him "half of the truth" regarding the standard of decisions and said official Karaoglan was "man of the match" after his side netted a late goal to defeat Trabzonspor

Mourinho filed a lawsuit against opponents Galatasaray in February when they claimed of making racist remarks