Second Helpings Rarely Taste as Good: Why Mourinho's Madrid Dream Could Turn Sour

Jose Mourinho wants back at Real Madrid, and Florentino Perez is apparently game for it. It's a peculiar proposition from a manager who was fortunate to land the Benfica post last September following his sacking at Fenerbahce, where a disappointing 13-month Turkish adventure had run its course.

The notion that returning to old stamping grounds works out swimmingly is, frankly, fantasy. Here's what the record actually tells us.

Frank Lampard's Unwelcome Homecoming

Chelsea's decision to resurrect the Lampard experiment was so bewildering that we found ourselves issuing a grudging retraction when it actually happened. His first stint had been, at best, serviceable. The second? Calamitous. A 1-0 loss to Wolves sparked an 11-game run where Chelsea managed precisely one victory—against a Bournemouth side seemingly on holiday. He finished as the poorest of 40 Premier League managers that 2022/23 campaign. At least he's found his feet with Coventry, which is rather galling.

Brendan Rodgers and the Glasgow Mess

When Rodgers first landed at Celtic in 2016, it seemed a masterstroke. He delivered back-to-back treble trebles before quitting mid-season in February 2019 with the Parkhead club nine points clear atop the Scottish Premiership. Celtic supporters were justifiably apoplectic.

His Leicester interlude—which yielded FA Cup silverware in 2021 before the Foxes tumbled toward Premier League relegation—set up a contentious return to Glasgow for 2023/24. This very publication flagged the dangers back in June 2023, and we weren't shy about saying so later.

Here's the twist: he won them back. Titles in both full seasons and a Scottish Cup in 2023/24 proved the doubters wrong. Yet Celtic's dominance had faded, and with Hearts breathing down their necks, Rodgers departed last October under circumstances that were, frankly, extraordinary. Major shareholder Dermot Desmond launched a withering assault, accusing Rodgers of misleading supporters over contract negotiations and fuelling board hostility through divisive conduct. Desmond's statement was particularly cutting: "The facts did not match his public narrative." From trophy-winner to pariah in a matter of months.

Howard Kendall's Three-Act Tragedy

Kendall arrived at Everton as player-manager in 1981, making just four appearances before retiring. Early struggles nearly cost him his job in January 1984, but cup runs offered salvation. Like Ferguson at Old Trafford, silverware proved transformative—the 1984-85 season saw Everton dominate domestically and win the European Cup Winners' Cup, though they fell short in the FA Cup final to a ten-man Manchester United.

Kendall departed for Athletic Bilbao and Manchester City, but returned to Goodison insisting City had merely been an affair while Everton was his true love. The magic had vanished. A second comeback proved fruitless, and by his third return in 1997, even Kendall's Midas touch couldn't prevent relegation worries. They survived on the final day before he departed for good.

Steve McClaren's Derby Disasters

McClaren's first Derby stint ended in Championship Play-Off heartbreak—a last-minute Bobby Zamora goal for QPR in the final. He lifted them the following season, topping the table by late February, before the wheels came off spectacularly. They needed merely a draw at home to Reading to secure the top six. They lost 3-0. Newcastle came calling, and when that imploded, Derby brought him back. His second spell lasted five months before the club ditched him, claiming they needed "a manager who shares our values."

Jose Mourinho's Chelsea Encore

Mourinho kissed and made up with Roman Abramovich in 2013, nearly six years after their acrimonious split. He delivered another Premier League title in 2015, yet promptly tarnished his legacy. A row with Eva Carneiro on opening day proved the first domino. By December, champions Chelsea had lost nine of sixteen matches; the squad had clearly lost faith. His subsequent returns to Stamford Bridge with Manchester United suggested supporters weren't reading from the same hymn sheet, whatever Chelsea's official statement claimed about him remaining "much-loved."

John Sheridan's Never-Ending Oldham Cycle

Sheridan finished his playing career at Oldham in 2004 and served as caretaker boss in 2001 before earning the permanent role in 2006. Play-offs followed, then mid-table mediocrity. A reported altercation with players at the dog track in March 2009, combined with a 6-2 home hammering by MK Dons, cost him his job.

He returned temporarily in 2016, helping them avoid the drop. That earned him the Notts County position, which he lost after threatening to "knock out" a fourth official. Oldham brought him back for a third spell—it went poorly, yielding just ten wins from 33 games as they languished at the League One basement.

A fourth permanent stint followed when Oldham sank to League Two's depths. He couldn't halt their slide into non-league football but vowed to restore them. After a takeover and an indifferent National League start, he finally departed—or so he claims. His parting words: "This is it. I won't manage another team."

Francesco Guidolin's Palermo Purgatory

Guidolin makes even Sheridan look stable. At Palermo, owner Maurizio Zamparini cycled through 40 managers in 15 years. Guidolin appeared in four separate spells across six managerial stints. His first spell was triumphant—taking the club from Serie B to sixth in the top flight by 2005 and into the UEFA Cup. He sensibly departed.

Then he kept going back. Sacked twice during the 2006-07 season, he returned yet again after a fifth-place finish. Following a brief QPR detour, he took over from his own successor, with his fourth reign collapsing in under four months amid fan tension and his own criticism of supporters.

His Premier League chapter with Swansea began in January 2016, guiding them from relegation danger. The club offered a two-year contract, then sacked him less than two months into the following season.

The pattern is unmistakable: returns rarely recapture the magic. Mourinho's Madrid gamble looks like a bet against the odds.