Real Madrid Bringing Back Coach José Mourinho For Second Stint

Real Madrid is bringing back José Mourinho for a second stint some 13 years after he left the club, the Spanish powerhouse said Thursday.

The Portuguese coach joins on a three-year contract and will officially take charge on July 13, when the preseason starts, the club said.

Mourinho left no one in Spain indifferent to his abrasive, yet undeniably successful, managerial style when he first coached Madrid from 2010 to 2013.

During his first run, he led Madrid to a Spanish league title and a Copa del Rey crown. Yet he is more remembered for his confrontational personality that ended up splitting his own squad and alienating all but the most hardcore fans, as well as a large part of the local media.

He will now inherit an underachieving team and rejoin a club in disarray.

Madrid hasn’t won a major title in two years with superstar striker Kylian Mbappé onboard. The club went through two coaches in Xabi Alonso and Álvaro Arbeloa this season.

Reporting by The Associated Press.