Right after 10 pm on Wednesday (Spanish time), Florentino Perez's campaign group posted a short but attention-grabbing message on social media: "Mucha historia por hacer" (there is still a lot of history to write).
Accompanied by a short video recording images of Jose Mourinho in the Real Madrid shirt, smiling and only saying one word: "yes".
This message means that if Perez is re-elected in the vote of Real Madrid members, Mourinho will become the new head coach of the Royal team.
The above information is not entirely surprising when many sources previously confirmed that Mourinho agreed to return to Bernabeu. However, Perez's announcement of the decision right before the election still attracted great attention from the Spanish media.
This move is also seen as a direct response to opponent Enrique Riquelme, who is campaigning with a promise to bring Erling Haaland to Bernabeu if he wins.
Perez's familiar gamble
The decision to bring Mourinho back stems from the fact that Real Madrid has just gone through two consecutive seasons without winning any major titles. Carlo Ancelotti, Xabi Alonso or Alvaro Arbeloa could not help the team regain their dominant position.
In Perez's eyes, Mourinho is the most suitable person to ignite the spirit of victory. The President of Real Madrid once affirmed that the team possesses one of the strongest forces in the world with names like Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior, Jude Bellingham, Arda Guler, Federico Valverde or Aurelien Tchouameni. What the team needs, according to Perez, is a coach capable of turning that team into a new empire.
When Mourinho first came to Bernabeu in 2010, Real Madrid was in a difficult period. They were continuously eliminated from the Champions League round of 16 for six consecutive seasons and were inferior to Pep Guardiola's powerful Barcelona.
Under Mourinho's leadership, Real Madrid quickly regained their competitive position. They have been in the Champions League semi-finals for three consecutive seasons and won the 2011-2012 La Liga championship with historic records.
That season, Real Madrid won 100 points, scored 121 goals and achieved a goal difference of +89, unprecedented numbers in the history of the league at that time. Despite ending his term in conflicts with the dressing room and the media, Mourinho still left a deep mark at the Bernabeu.
According to Perez, it was the winning mindset and the foundation that Mourinho built that paved the way for the golden age afterwards, when Real Madrid won six Champions League titles in 12 years.
Perez has long been famous for emphasizing the role of superstars more than coaches. His Galacticos philosophy always revolves around recruiting the best players in the world.
However, Mourinho is a rare exception. Many sources close to Perez once revealed that the President of Real Madrid always considered Mourinho the most special coach in his term. Not Vicente del Bosque, Fabio Capello, Manuel Pellegrini or even Ancelotti, the person he appreciates the most is still the Portuguese strategist.
Therefore, more than a decade after saying goodbye to Bernabeu, Mourinho is still the choice that Perez believes in to bring Real Madrid into a new cycle of success.
