Marco Silva signs for two seasons
The response from the encarnada board was immediate. Minutes later, Benfica officially announced the arrival of Marco Silva to fill the vacant position.
The Portuguese coach, thus returning to domestic football, signed a contract valid for two seasons, with an extension clause that could prolong the deal until the 2028/29 season.
Marco Silva, 48, succeeds José Mourinho in the role. After five seasons at Fulham, Marco Silva ends a decade-long journey in English football, which began at Hull City (2016/17), continued at Watford (2017/18) and Everton (2018 to 2019), before joining the cottagers in 2021/22, which was the only season he did not compete in the Premier League.
That year, he led the London side to the Championship title, England's second tier, and subsequent promotion to the Premier League, where he achieved, consecutively, a 10th place finish (2022/23), 13th (2023/24), 11th (2024/25) and again 11th (2025/26), always with points totals around the 50 mark (52 in 2022/23, 47 in 2023/24, 54 in 2024/25 and 52 in 2025/26).
He began his coaching career at Estoril Praia—the club where he retired as a player and also briefly served as sporting director—winning the Liga 2 title with Estoril in his very first season, 2011/12. In the following two seasons, he led them to fifth and then fourth place in the top division, as well as qualification for the Europa League in both campaigns.
He then moved to Sporting and, in his only season in charge of the leões, finished third in the league and won the Portuguese Cup, in a final against SC Braga, in 2014/15.
Between leaving the verdes e brancos and heading to England, he managed Greek side Olympiacos, with whom he lifted the Greek championship trophy (2015/16).
Marco Silva is the sixth Benfica coach since Rui Costa became club president in 2021. During this period, the águias have been led by Jorge Jesus, Nélson Veríssimo, Roger Schmidt, Bruno Lage, and José Mourinho, but have only won one league title, under the German's command, in 2022/23.
Mourinho heads to Madrid for 15 million
The Spanish club agreed to pay the 15 million euro release clause for the Portuguese coach, who has already given his full agreement to move to the Spanish capital.
Read also - Mourinho in Madrid to sign a three-year contract with Real
In an official statement, the encarnado club bid farewell to the coach with a short and emphatic message: "Thank you, José Mourinho." The coach's departure leaves the Benfica bench vacant after a brief stint this 2026 season.
José Mourinho returned to Benfica in September 2025 to replace Bruno Lage, 25 years after his first spell at the Luz, finishing the league unbeaten but in third place, behind champions FC Porto and runners-up Sporting.
Besides missing out on next season's Champions League, Benfica, under Mourinho, was knocked out in the Portuguese Cup quarter-finals by FC Porto, in the League Cup semi-finals by Sporting de Braga, and in the Champions League round of 16 play-off, precisely against Real Madrid.
The 63-year-old coach will return to Real Madrid, after previously spending three seasons with the merengues, from 2010/11 to 2012/13, winning a Spanish league title, a Copa del Rey, and a Spanish Super Cup.
Read also - Arbeloa steps down as Real Madrid coach, paving the way for Mourinho