It has pretty much been an open secret that Jose Mourinho is going to become the new manager of Real Madrid. The only thing that needed to be sorted was Florentino Perez's reelection as president. Since that is now over the line, an official announcement is only a matter of time.

While that has not come from Real Madrid's side yet, Benfica have wasted no time in making the news public.

Benfica have officially confirmed that Real Madrid have formally expressed their intention to hire Mourinho for €15 million, with the coach having given his agreement.

Benfica have already thanked Mourinho, while also confirming who will be replacing him as the Portuguese club's manager.

Benfica have announced that they have reached an agreement with Marco Silva for the signing of a contract valid for two seasons, extendable until 2028/29.

Of course, this marks an unexpected return to big-time football for Mourinho. It had looked like he was in the twilight of his managerial career and was stepping away from the spotlight.

Mourinho had had stints at clubs like AS Roma, Fenerbahce and Benfica. With all due respect to those clubs, all of which are great institutions in football, they are not the ones you expect to see competing for the Champions League every season.

Now, Mourinho is going to be firmly back in the spotlight by returning to Real Madrid. And he does so at a very difficult time for the club.

There is a ton of talk about there being issues in the dressing room and doubts about whether the current squad is good enough or not.

Xabi Alonso was an excellent manager, but he failed to manage the dressing room. Alvaro Arebloa was never going to be the long-term solution, and he did end up having similar issues as well.

Now, it is up to Mourinho to sort out the situation. And if he can't do it, one has to wonder who can.

Mourinho has managed the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, John Terry, Frank Lampard, Samuel Eto'o, Eden Hazard and so many more elite players over the course of his career.

He might not have won the Champions League with Real Madrid himself, but he was instrumental in building the squad and team mentality that eventually got there.

It is easy to forget but when Mourinho had arrived at Real Madrid the first time around, they had been in a similar situation, if not worse.

Real Madrid had not even gotten past the Champions League round of 16 in six seasons when Mourinho arrived in 2010. And he did turn it around, taking them to the semi-finals three straight seasons, before they went on to win La Decima under Carlo Ancelotti.

So, if there is one person who can restore the aura of Real Madrid right now, it is Jose Mouirnho!

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