By News18,Siddarth Sriram

Copyright news18

Jose Mourinho is back at Benfica, more than two decades after his short first stint at the Lisbon giants — and he wasted no time making headlines.
Unveiled as the club’s new head coach on Thursday following the dismissal of Bruno Lage, the “Special One” immediately cast a shadow over his former employers, Fenerbahce, describing his move to the Turkish side as a “mistake.”
Mourinho, sacked by the Istanbul club just last month after a little over a year in charge, was forthright in his assessment of why things never worked out.
“It wasn’t my level”
Speaking to reporters in Lisbon, Mourinho admitted that while he has no regrets in life, he believes Fenerbahce was the wrong fit for him.
“My career so far has been rich; I’ve coached the biggest clubs in the world, in different countries,” he said.
“I made the wrong choice. Sometimes I don’t have the right word in Portuguese. No regrets, because regrets don’t help us at all in life, but the awareness of what we did well and what we did wrong exists.
“I made a mistake going to Fenerbahce. It wasn’t my cultural level, it wasn’t my football level, it wasn’t my level. Obviously I gave everything until the last day. Obviously I had to mourn, like Bruno (Lage) is doing now, because nobody likes to leave.
“But coaching Benfica is returning to my level, and my level is coaching the biggest clubs in the world.”
Stormy spell in Turkey
Mourinho’s time in Istanbul was dominated as much by controversy as by football. He was hit with a four-match suspension for what Turkish authorities described as “offensive statements” about refereeing standards.
His heated clashes with Galatasaray — Fenerbahce’s fiercest rivals — further fuelled tensions. Mourinho was accused by Gala of making racist remarks during last season’s derby, an allegation he strongly denied.
The end came swiftly when Fenerbahce were eliminated from Champions League qualifying — ironically by Mourinho’s new club, Benfica. That defeat sealed his fate, and the club parted ways with him soon after.
Back where it began
Mourinho’s return to Benfica carries a sense of unfinished business. The 61-year-old began his managerial career at the Estádio da Luz in 2000, before resigning after just nine games.
In the years since, he has built a glittering résumé with FC Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Manchester United, and Roma.
Now, he inherits a Benfica side sitting sixth in the Portuguese league table, with his debut set for Saturday’s trip to AVS.