Mourinho back at Benfica 25 years on - revered but a risk?

It's a long time since Jose Mourinho took to the dugout as manager of Benfica. A quarter of a century, in fact. In that time he clambered to the very top of the footballing tree and broke a few branches on his way back to the red side of Lisbon.

A glittering 25 years have seen the self-proclaimed 'Special One' collect two Champions Leagues, a Uefa Cup, Europa League, Conference League, eight league titles and numerous other silverware in a career that has spanned 10 clubs.

He is still revered in Portugal among the generation of fans who remember him leading Porto to European glory, winning the treble with Inter and managing some of the world's biggest sides in Chelsea, Real Madrid and Manchester United.

Despite his last league title coming a decade ago, there is huge hype around the 62-year-old's return.

Outside the new Estadio da Luz, yet to be built when Mourinho last coached Benfica, there was a thrum of media activity and excitement as news broke of the veteran boss' return.

"We are missing those kinds of iconic coaches here in Portugal," explains CNN journalist Joao Pedro Oca, speaking between live hourly broadcasts outside the stadium. "His legacy is awesome here, mainly because of what he did in Porto.

"[But] Mourinho was linked to Benfica for a lot of years. This is something everyone expected, the return of Mourinho to Portugal and to Benfica and [eventually] to the national team. It was a question of time."

But there is also a feeling this appointment is a risk - not only for Benfica but Mourinho, too, with Benfica's presidential elections beginning on 25 October.

"He is a cherished figure in Portugal, one that almost transcends club rivalries," explains Expresso journalist Diogo Pombo. "But peak Mourinho is long gone and people are aware of his conflictual style from the last few years.

"But he has a story in Benfica and that works in his favour - when he left the club, he was loved by the fans despite only managing the team for 11 games and what he left was a sensation of injustice, of a chaotic club wasting the opportunity to grow with such an ambitious coach."

Manuel Vilarinho, Benfica president at the time, later said he rued the decision not to renew Mourinho's contract when the fiery young boss - in his first managerial role - threatened to quit because he did not feel he had his backing.

Vilarinho had just replaced Joao Vale e Azevedo, the president who appointed Mourinho a month earlier, four weeks into the season and almost exactly 25 years ago to the day.

Mourinho - believing Vilarinho wanted a different coach - stuck to his word by stepping down in December 2000, having won six of his 11 games in charge.

"He made such a big impact," says Benfica FM podcast host Filipe Ingles. "Benfica at the time was terrible. It was the worst season in all of Benfica history.

"We started playing so much better with Mourinho and it was already the Mourinho that we know from Porto and from Chelsea. At press conferences, he was already that big figure."

Benfica were in the middle of an 11-year run without a Portuguese title. They only ended it once Mourinho left Porto for Chelsea in 2004, having won the Champions League.

"Of course, we always think what could have been if Mourinho had stayed at Benfica," adds Ingles. "Maybe Mourinho can change that now - 25 years later."

This time, the shoe is on the other foot. Rui Costa, part of the Eagles side who won the league in 1994 and a star for the national team, is the president banking on Mourinho's arrival securing him another term.

"The fans might view his appointment as a kind of union finally fulfilled," adds Pombo. "But the eve of another election is affecting the way his return is received."

Costa said when he sacked Bruno Lage following a 3-2 defeat by Qarabag in the Champions League on Tuesday that a "Benfica coach's profile must be that of a winner".

Mourinho's last trophy, however, came three years ago, winning the Conference League with Roma. Before that, it was the Europa League with Manchester United in 2017, and his last league title came at Chelsea in 2015.

He did end his tenure at Fenerbahce with a 71.1% win ratio in the league - only bettered by his time at Porto (75.9%) and Real Madrid (76.3%). But, having finished second behind Galatasaray last term, Mourinho was sacked when Fenerbahce were knocked out of this season's Champions League play-offs by, of all clubs, Benfica.

"Benfica needs a new coach, needs a different approach, needs a strong figure on the bench," adds Oca. "The majority of Benfica fans think Mourinho is a good choice.

"The problem is the timing. It is a very tricky situation. We don't know about the future. It is a very risky move for Rui Costa but also for Mourinho."

Costa has insisted appointing Mourinho is a sporting decision, rather than a high-profile move to help him get re-elected.

"I've never put my interests ahead of Benfica's, and I'm not going to do so now," he said.

According to a poll on Portuguese TV on Wednesday, the current president sits second out of six candidates before October's elections - though some suggest it is too close to call between the top three names.

"The other candidates are saying that this is not OK," explains Ingles. "If there is a new president, which is very likely, it will be a hard situation for both - Mourinho has a new president and the new president is stuck with an expensive manager.

"There are a lot of doubts, this feeling that Rui Costa is doing this as a Hail Mary for his re-election, because in four years he has only one championship and it's not good that you sack your manager at the beginning of the season."

Beyond the political argument around Mourinho's arrival, there is of course huge intrigue and expectation.

"If you said to me or to any Benfica fan that Mourinho would be coming five or 10 years ago, we would be ecstatic, we would be so thrilled," says Ingles.

"Without a doubt, he's the best Portuguese manager of all time and he was one of the best managers in the world, but I'm talking about the past, so there will be a few doubts if he's still the great Mourinho that he once was.

"Journalists are ecstatic in Portugal that he is coming back. Of course, there will be a lot of attention and a lot of curiosity to see if he can still make a statement in Portuguese football, which I think he can.

"Benfica has very good players and if Mourinho doesn't win the title, it will be considered a failure."