Did Mourinho plan his Benfica comeback?

Football has a way of throwing up storylines so dramatic that they feel scripted, and Jose Mourinho’s impending return to Benfica might just be the boldest plot twist yet.

Only a few weeks ago, Mourinho’s Fenerbahce were dreaming of Champions League football.

Those dreams ended abruptly in the playoff round when Benfica struck the killer blow.

A narrow 1–0 aggregate defeat, sealed by a single goal in Lisbon, was enough to knock the Turkish giants out and leave Mourinho staring at the exit door.

Not long after, Fenerbahce parted ways with him, though it came with a reported £9 million compensation as part of his dismissal deal.

For most managers, that would mark a bitter end. For Mourinho? It now looks like the perfect set-up.

Jose Mourinho set for dramatic Benfica return

Because who else comes calling but Benfica, the very team that kicked him out of Europe and indirectly triggered his departure.

Suddenly, Mourinho is back in the Champions League, back in Lisbon, and back at the helm of a club he last managed for a brief spell in 2000.

It’s almost as if Mourinho knew the script all along. Get knocked out, get paid, and return to the competition with the side that caused the downfall.

Coincidence or master plan? Football fans are already joking that the “Special One” just pulled off the most special career twist of all.

And the irony doesn’t stop there. The man whose goal sent Mourinho packing, Kerem Akturkoglu, ended up signing for Fenerbahce shortly after.

In other words, the scorer joined the club Mourinho left, and Mourinho joined the club that sent him out.

If this isn’t football’s version of musical chairs, then what is?

Read some of the reactions below:

FKA/JE

Meanwhile, watch fans pick their ultimate Ghanaian UCL legend