Benfica have announced the appointment of Marco Silva as their new head coach, with Jose Mourinho's return to Real Madrid now set to be finalised.

After winning Madrid's presidential election last week, Florentino Perez confirmed he is set to bring Mourinho back to the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.

Mourinho previously led Los Blancos from 2010 to 2013, winning one LaLiga title, one Copa del Rey and one Supercopa de Espana. 

He won 126 of his 174 games at the helm (D27 L21) during that time; his 72.4% win percentage with Madrid is the highest of any team he has managed.

He also led Benfica to an unbeaten Primeira Liga season in 2025-26 after taking charge in September, though they drew 11 of their 34 games to finish third, behind Porto and Sporting CP.

Mourinho's return to the Spanish capital is imminent following confirmation of Alvaro Arbeloa leaving Madrid, and Benfica have moved quickly to replace him.

The Lisbon giants confirmed on Tuesday that Silva has signed a two-year contract at the Estadio da Luz, which contains an option to extend by a further 12 months. 

Silva recently left Fulham after five seasons in charge at Craven Cottage, having led them to the Championship title in 2021-22 before re-establishing them in the Premier League.

Under Silva's tutelage, Fulham finished 10th, 13th, 11th and 11th in the top tier across the past four seasons, achieving their Premier League record points tally of 54 in 2024-25.

His 38.2% win percentage in the Premier League is the best of any Fulham boss, while he has also won the most matches (58) and managed the joint-most matches for the Cottagers in the competition (152 – level with Chris Coleman).

Silva previously coached Benfica's rivals, Sporting, in 2014-15, winning the Taca de Portugal before departing for Olympiacos, then having spells at Hull City, Watford and Everton.

Fulham's search for a replacement has reportedly led them to Ipswich Town's Kieran McKenna, who is believed to be their preferred candidate but has an £8m release clause in his contract.