How Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid Record Compares to Other Managerial Greats

José Mourinho’s name is gaining traction in the race to become Real Madrid’s next manager.

With Álvaro Arbeloa’s days in the dugout seemingly numbered, attention has turned to potential candidates to take over the biggest job in club soccer. The likes of Jürgen Klopp, Didier Deschamps and Mauricio Pochettino have all been mooted as contenders, while Mourinho has also been tipped for a comeback.

The 63-year-old Portuguese, who spent three years at Real Madrid between between 2010 and 2013, is seen by many as an outside shot for a return to the Bernabéu, but he does have some important backers. Mourinho is known to maintain a good relationship with club president Florentio Pérez, while a viral ‘like’ from Kylian Mbappé on Instagram suggested the French superstar would also be in favor of the two-time Champions League winner coming back to the Spanish capital.

For a club as nostalgic as Real Madrid, the idea of a glorious Mourinho return clearly holds an appeal.

Speaking in a recent press conference, Mourinho told reporters that he cannot guarantee that he will remain in charge of his current club Benfica next season.

How Does Mourinho’s Real Madrid Record Stack Up?

José Mourinho held an impressive win ratio at Madrid. | PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA/AFP/Getty Images

In an eventful three years spent in Madrid, the “Special One” won one league title (2011–12) and one Copa del Rey (2010–11), in addition to the 2012 Supercopa.

While his trophy haul is far from comparable with Madrid’s all-time greats, Mourinho’s overall win percentage is as good as almost any manager. Only his predecessor Manuel Pellegrini can boast a higher figure than the 71.91% Mourinho maintained during his spell.

In 178 matches as Real Madrid manager in all competitions, he won 127, tying 28 and losing 23 .

Manager	Win %
Manuel Pellegrini (2009–10)	75
José Mourinho (2010–13)	71.91
Carlo Ancelotti (2013–15, 2021–25)	71.79
Luis Carniglia (1957–59)	70.59
Xabi Alonso (2025–26)	70.59
Zinedine Zidane (2016–18, 2019–21)	65.1

What Went Wrong for Mourinho at Madrid?

Mourinho made a decent start in Madrid, winning the Copa del Rey in his first season, though Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona still claimed both La Liga and the Champions League that year.

In his second season, Mourinho led Real Madrid to the domestic crown, finishing ahead of Barcelona with a record-breaking 100 points, but the team fell short in Europe, losing to Jürgen Klopp’s Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League semi-finals.

Things then unravelled in his third and final season, amid off-field tensions with the likes of Sergio Ramos, Iker Casillas and even Cristiano Ronaldo, as well as frequent outbursts about refereeing bias and clashes with the Madrid hierarchy.

He said of Ronaldo: “Maybe thinks that he knows everything and that the coach cannot improve him anymore”. He also criticized Karim Benzema with the memorable phrase: “If I can't hunt with a dog, I will hunt with a cat.”

The low point of a bad-tempered 2012–13 season—which Mourinho described as the “the worst of my career”—came as he deliberately poked Barcelona assistant coach Tito Vilanova in the eye during the Supercopa encounter. He left by mutual consent after Madrid finished the campaign 15 points behind Barça.

In the 13 years since leaving Madrid, Mourinho has only won one more domestic title—with Chelsea in 2015.

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