Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso has described the upcoming UEFA Champions League showdown with Benfica as “special” for their new manager Jose Mourinho, who will return to face his former club.
Mourinho, recently appointed Benfica boss after leaving Fenerbahce, is set to meet Madrid in the league phase of the competition on January 28, 2026.
Speaking ahead of Real Madrid’s LaLiga clash with Espanyol on Saturday, Alonso told reporters (via Madrid Xtra):
“Playing against Mourinho? I had the chance to face him when he was at Roma and I was at Leverkusen.
It will be special for him. It was three very intense years, very important. He has a huge affection for this club.”
Mourinho previously managed Real Madrid from 2010 to 2013, winning LaLiga, the Copa del Rey, and the Spanish Super Cup during a memorable spell at the Santiago Bernabéu.
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