Marco Silva has been appointed Benfica’s new head coach.
The Portuguese club confirmed the deal after Jose Mourinho’s departure for Real Madrid. It marks Silva’s return home after five years in England.
Silva left Fulham only last week. His contract at Craven Cottage expired, bringing to an end a tenure that began in 2021.
In that time he won promotion and then kept the club comfortably established in the Premier League.
His new deal carries real length. Benfica confirmed the 48-year-old will stay until the end of 2027-28. The agreement also includes an option to extend by a further year, into 2028-29.
Marco Silva named Benfica boss after Mourinho exit
The appointment follows a notable managerial chain. Mourinho’s exit cleared the path, with the club formally announcing his switch to Madrid.
Benfica confirmed Real will pay £13m (€15m) in compensation to release him. The Spanish move had one key condition.
Acordo com Marco Silva
A Sport Lisboa e Benfica, SAD informa, em comunicado à CMVM, que chegou a acordo com Marco Silva para a celebração de um contrato de trabalho válido por duas épocas, extensível até 2028/29. pic.twitter.com/yCEapjFFEf
It hinged on Florentino Pérez winning re-election as Real Madrid president, which he duly did. With that settled, both moves fell quickly into place.
Mourinho leaves Lisbon on a high. He took charge last September and guided Benfica to third in the Primeira Liga.
Remarkably, his side went unbeaten across the entire league campaign, one of the club’s most consistent domestic seasons in years.
For Mourinho, it is a homecoming of its own. He returns to the Bernabéu, where he worked between 2010 and 2013.
That first spell brought La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup.
Silva, meanwhile, inherits a strong base. He takes over a settled, in-form side rather than a rebuild. The challenge now is to turn Benfica’s consistency into silverware.
