Jose Mourinho appointed new Benfica coach

The Lisbon club turned to the 62-year-old after dismissing Bruno Lage in the early hours of Wednesday morning following a Champions League home defeat to Qarabag of Azerbaijan.

19 Sep 2025 09:29am

Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho (L) holds up a Benfica jersey with his name together with Benfica president Rui Costa during his official presentation as new Benfica coach at the Benfica Campus training center in Seixal, on the outskirts of Lisbon, on September 18, 2025. Benfica sacked Portuguese coach Bruno Lage following their defeat to Qarabag on September 16, 2025 evening in the Champions League, and contacted Jose Mourinho the next day to hire him. (Photo by PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA / AFP)

LONDON - Jose Mourinho has been appointed as Benfica’s new head coach - and one of his first assignments will be against his old club Chelsea, PA Media/dpa reported.

The Lisbon club turned to the 62-year-old after dismissing Bruno Lage in the early hours of Wednesday morning following a Champions League home defeat to Qarabag of Azerbaijan.

Mourinho returns to Benfica after a short stint in charge of the club 25 years ago.

Since then he has enjoyed great success at Porto, before moving to Chelsea where he won three Premier League titles across two spells.

He will now be welcomed back to Stamford Bridge when Benfica play Chelsea in the Champions League on September 30.

He joined Chelsea in 2004, the summer after they had been taken over by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich.

Mourinho proclaimed himself as a "Special One" and led the Blues to two Premier League titles, an FA Cup and two League Cups in a first stint which ended in 2007.

He won a third league title and another League Cup crown in 2015. - BERNAMA-PA MEDIA/dpa