Florentino Perez is ready to turn back the clock at the Bernabeu, placing a former Chelsea favorite at the very top of his managerial shortlist.
In terms of former Chelsea managers, Jose Mourinho remains the ultimate icon, arriving in 2004 to build a powerhouse that won three Premier League titles and established a winning culture.
Carlo Ancelotti followed with a more stylish approach, leading the Blues to their first historic League and FA Cup Double in 2010 with a record-breaking attacking side.
In European competition, Roberto Di Matteo became a legend by guiding the team to their first Champions League title in 2012 as an interim boss, while Thomas Tuchel repeated the feat in 2021 by transforming a struggling squad into world champions within months.
More recently, Enzo Maresca delivered the club’s first trophies of the BlueCo era, including the Conference League and the 2025 Club World Cup, but we all know how that ended.
Where will Chelsea finish this season? Will they get a European spot?🤔
Jose Mourinho a frontrunner for the Real Madrid job
In a report from The Athletic, they claim that Jose Mourinho is the preferred candidate of Florentino Perez to become next Real Madrid head coach.
However, the support is not universal inside Real Madrid, but the president is driving the process, so the 63-year-old remains a strong contender.
One factor is the €3m (£2.6m) break clause in the Benfica deal.
Do you think Chelsea should have parted with Enzo Maresca?🤔
Jose Mourinho has already been ruled out of a Chelsea return
It seems as though Real Madrid may be the only destination that Jose Mourinho would be open to, as he’s already been ruled out of a return to Chelsea.
“Chelsea have always downplayed Jose Mourinho returning. So something would have to change there. It’s worth just noting that Mourinho is expected to be a free agent and a lot of people actually think that he’s quite likely to walk into the Portugal job after the World Cup.”
You can’t really blame him, especially given the fact that the Blues won’t be in the Champions League next season, and the Portugal job could come up this summer.
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