Florentino Perez’s decisive victory in Sunday’s presidential elections at Real Madrid has led to a sensational reshuffle at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The 79-year-old incumbent beat 37-year-old challenger Enrique Riquelme, winning 65% of the votes in the club's first real contested election in nearly two decades. The victory is set to usher in a huge wave of sporting changes as Los Blancos look to end a disappointing, barren run of two successive seasons without a major trophy.
The most explosive change is the imminent return of 'The Special One', Jose Mourinho, to the Real Madrid dugout for a second stint. The headline-grabbing twist to Mourinho's appointment, though, is the coaching staff he is assembling. Pepe, a former Real Madrid icon and long-time international and club teammate of Cristiano Ronaldo, is reportedly the front-runner to join the staff as an assistant coach, according to Spanish journalist Ramon Alvarez de Mon.
The 43-year-old former Portugal centre-back, who enjoyed ten legendary seasons in the Spanish capital between 2007 and 2017 winning three Champions League titles, is reportedly in a strong position to take on his very first managerial backroom role. Pepe worked with Mourinho during the fiery manager's first spell in Madrid between 2010 and 2013, making him an ideal right-hand man who knows the weighty demands of the club.
Mourinho, 63, is understood to have agreed a three-year contract. He arrives from Portuguese side Benfica where he recently led them to an unbeaten domestic campaign and third place. Real Madrid already agreed to pay Benfica a 15 million Euros compensation release fee to make his return happen.
This tactical overhaul to challenge the home dominance of bitter rivals Barcelona, who have thrived under German coach Hansi Flick to win back-to-back La Liga titles, was heavily embedded into Perez's ambitious re-election campaign. In addition to the structural changes in the dugout, Real Madrid have reportedly wrapped up concrete deals for Inter Milan right-back Denzel Dumfries and Liverpool centre-back Ibrahima Konate to bolster a depleted defensive line.
The reunion of Jose Mourinho and Pepe on the touchline is the start of a ruthless new era at the Santiago Bernabeu with Perez also promising a “Galactico” transfer outlay of over 150 million Euros later this week.