Returning to Benfica, will Jose Mourinho restore his reputation or fall deeper into disappointment?

It was no surprise that Jose Mourinho was greeted by a large crowd of fans when he arrived in Lisbon on the morning of September 18. They had all witnessed the enthusiastic welcomes in London, Rome and Istanbul, before the Special One left without fanfare.

Yet, despite the setbacks that led to the dismal farewells, Mourinho once again showed his extraordinary charisma. A crowd of Benfica fans surrounded him, draped a club scarf around his neck and asked about the prospect of managing the 38-time Portuguese champions, to which he replied, "I am interested and enthusiastic about this job."

According to European media, Mourinho has agreed a two-year contract with Benfica, replacing coach Bruno Lage who was sacked after a surprise home defeat to Qarabag in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Jose Mourinho flew into Lisbon on Thursday from Barcelona.

For the dreamy Benfica fans, this is a sweet reunion after 25 years. Perhaps not everyone knows that before making a splash with Porto, becoming the "Special One" at Chelsea, winning the treble with Inter and having tumultuous times with Real, MU, Tottenham, Roma and Fenerbahce, Mourinho led Benfica. This was even his first club, albeit for a short time.

The story is that in September 2000, Mourinho was appointed by the President who was in the middle of the election. Unfortunately, two months later, he failed and Benfica welcomed a new President. With the desire to secure his future, Mourinho suddenly stormed into the new President's office and asked for a contract extension.

Of course he didn’t agree. Mourinho was only 37, hadn’t made any mark yet and his record wasn’t great, with six wins in 11 games in charge. The next day, Mourinho left the club.

Mourinho in his short 3 months leading Benfica.

Not everyone has the same spirit and confidence as Mourinho. Frankly, he took a gamble. But it paid off big. Less than three years later, Mourinho helped rival Porto win the Portuguese championship twice, and also the UEFA Cup and Champions League. And then, as everyone knows, the legend of the "Special One" was written. For a time, he was a coach who turned everything he touched into gold, and who had the ability to build an invincible team.

However, as time went on, Mourinho became the embodiment of failure when the magic wand ran out. He could not revive big teams, and was also powerless to help less famous teams transform.

If in the past Mourinho was very good at motivating players, exploiting hidden qualities and turning them into warriors, now that method has backfired, increasing dissatisfaction.

Mourinho has not won another trophy since 2022, after winning the UEFA Europa Conference League with Roma.

While football has changed with sophisticated tactics, Mourinho has been left behind. He has also failed to gain sympathy by constantly talking about his glorious past, the titles he has won, then repeating the antics such as confronting referee Anthony Taylor after the defeat to Roma in the Europa League final, or attacking the league, referees and the Board of Directors during his time at Fenerbahce.

The Fenerbahce board are really tired of Mourinho. However, the noise he creates is not the main reason. President Ali Koc said the reason comes from the style of football as well as its effectiveness. He said: "When we appointed Mourinho, we knew he was a defensive coach.

But towards the end of last season, I was talking about how the team should be more attacking. His style of play might work in Europe, but in Türkiye, Fenerbahce should be crushing their opponents most of the time. Instead, we struggled to avoid defeat.

Mourinho is preparing for his 12th job change.

The way Fenerbahce were eliminated in the Champions League play-offs was unacceptable. It made me feel like he was going to repeat the same football as last year. The parting of the ways was forced because I believe this squad can play better."

Surprisingly, even when they know what they will get in return from Mourinho, clubs still cannot resist the temptation of the "Special One". Benfica is an example. And few people will be surprised if the Lisbon team falls into a similar situation to Fenerbahce.

Despite only winning the title once in the last 6 seasons, Benfica are still Portugal's most successful club and play with great expectations. Fans are eager to quench their thirst for titles and to see exciting performances, not boring defense and always running behind the opponent.

Will Mourinho respond to this and restore his reputation? Perhaps the Special One himself does not think so much. At the moment he needs a job. And Benfica, the team that has a place in the Champions League (after beating Fenerbahce) is an excellent choice.