Real Madrid part company with Mourinho

Jose Mourinho
| credits: File copy

Real Madrid have confirmed that manager Jose Mourinho will leave the club at the end of the season by mutual consent.

Speculation has been rife that the Portuguese manager would leave the Bernabeu and he has been heavily linked with a return to former club Chelsea, who are seeking a replacement for Rafael Benitez.

And during a press conference on Monday, Madrid president Florentino Perez revealed the 50-year-old will leave the club after their final match of the season.

Perez said, “The time is right to bring our relationship to an end.

“On behalf of the board of directors would like to thank Jose Mourinho for all his hard work. The team have improved in his three years and we wish him all the best.”

The 50-year-old joined Real in 2010, after completing the treble with Inter in the 2009-10 season. He won his first trophy with the club in 2011, when they beat arch-rivals Barcelona 1-0 in the final of the Copa del Rey.

A year later he guided the club to a first La Liga title in four years, obtaining 100 points in the process.

Despite domestic success, Mourinho has fallen short in three attempts at the UEFA Champions League, falling at the semi-finals each time, including this season’s 4-3 aggregate defeat to Borussia Dortmund.

Though Mourinho broke Barcelona’s La Liga dominance in 2012, he has endured a testing relationship with some of the playing squad during his tenure, coming under particular criticism for overlooking goalkeeper Iker Casillas in favour of Diego Lopez.