Jose Mourinho says 'yes' to Real Madrid in controversial Florentino Perez election video as Portuguese tells furious Benfica it's all FAKE

Perez's re-election campaign released a video appearing to confirm Mourinho's return to Real Madrid. The clip featured the current Benfica manager and used the slogan "MOUcha historia por hacer", which further heated up the debate over the Portuguese coach's future at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The move immediately triggered a strong reaction from Benfica. Mourinho remains under contract with the Portuguese side until 2027, and Record claimed he contacted the club to insist he had not recorded any video for Perez's campaign, arguing the footage had been created using artificial intelligence.

Perez made his position on Mourinho clear while praising the Portuguese coach's qualities. "Mourinho is one of the world’s great coaches and he was very important for Real Madrid during his time with us," Perez told Diario AS.

"He was the coach of that famous record breaking league season. He brought the team to very high levels of competitiveness and that was very important for everything that was achieved afterwards. Mourinho and [Ibrahima] Konate are my first signings."

The June 7 election has developed into a fierce contest between Perez and challenger Enrique Riquelme. Perez has presented the vote as a choice between the stability of his leadership and a return to what he considers a less successful period in the club's history.

Riquelme distanced himself from the Mourinho proposal and indicated that his own sporting project would follow a different path. He said: "He's a good coach, but our project is different, he has experience in European competition. We don't like him, it's a completely different kind of project than Florentino Perez's. I have another coach."

Attention now turns to the presidential vote on June 7, when Real Madrid members will decide which vision they want for the club's future. The outcome will determine whether Perez can move forward with his plans involving Mourinho and defensive reinforcements.