After nearly 13 years, Jose Mourinho is set to return to Real Madrid.
The La Liga club announced on Friday that the Special One has signed a three-year contract to return as head coach.
In his first stint in the Spanish capital Mourinho led Real to victory in La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup during a three-year stint before departing in June 2013.
During the 2011-12 campaign Los Blancos stormed to a record 32nd league title with 100 points, a record that remains unbeaten to this day in the Spanish top flight in the process.
However, he failed to replicate the success the following year as they finished 15 points behind Barcelona, despite going unbeaten in their last 16 games.
Real president Florentino Perez announced Mourinho's departure in May of that year and his final game in charge came in a 4-2 win over Osasuna on the final day of the season.
But what became of that team? Read on as we take a look.
Jose Mourinho's last Real Madrid XI
GK: Jesus Fernandez
Possibly the most surprising name to feature on this list is Real Madrid's goalkeeper on that day, Jesus Fernandez. After all, the win over Osasuna marked just his second, and final appearance for the club in the four years he spent there.
Regular first choice goalkeeper Iker Casillas had been frozen out by Mourinho for several months following reports of a falling out between the pair, and was absent from the matchday squad before returning to the fold under Carlo Ancelotti the following season.
After departing Real in 2014 Fernandez embarked on a nomadic career that saw him ply his trade in Greece and Romania, as well as his native Spain. He most recently turned out for second tier Romanian side Politehnica Iasi.
LB: Alvaro Arbeloa
Few could have imagined when Alvaro Arbeloa took to the pitch against Osasuna that more than a decade later Mourinho would be his successor as Real's head coach.
A member of Spain's all-conquering side that twice were crowned European champions and won the 2010 World Cup, Arbeloa would go on to make more than 230 appearances for Real in all competitions before hanging up his boots in 2017 after a brief spell at West Ham.
It remains to be seen where his coaching career will take him next.
CB: Ricardo Carvalho
A favourite of Mourinho's dating back to their time together at Porto, Ricardo Carvalho became one of Mourinho's first signings after he took the reins in Madrid - joining the club from Chelsea in a deal worth £7million.
Carvalho found minutes hard to come by in Madrid however, and by the start of the 2012-13 season Mourinho had publicly stated that he was surplus to requirements.
The win over Osasuna would prove to be his final game for the club, and Carvalho joined Monaco on a free transfer before ending his career after a brief spell in China with Super League side Shanghai SIPG.
CB: Raul Albiol
Earning plaudits for his versatility as a squad player during his four seasons at Real Madrid, Raul Albiol enjoyed a consistent spell in the team during the final weeks of Mourinho's time in charge.
Albiol would go on to make 119 appearances for the club in all competitions before joining Napoli, and later returning to La Liga with Villareal.
At 40, Albiol has continued his playing career and he made 8 Serie A appearances for Pisa last season as they finished bottom of the Italian top flight.
RB: Jose Callejon
After emerging from Real Madrid's academy, Jose Callejon enjoyed his first taste of senior football with Espanyol before Mourinho brought him back to the Bernabeu in May 2011.
In what proved to be his final appearance for his boyhood club, Callejon found the net in a second successive game to close out the win, striking home from close range in the 87th minute.
Callejon joined Napoli after Mourinho's departure and later turned out for Fiorentina, Granada and Marbella. He recently joined Puerto de Motril CF in the Spanish fifth tier.
CDM: Luka Modric
Luka Modric arrived in Madrid less than 12 months prior to the victory over Osasuna, with Mourinho making him the marquee arrival of his final summer window at the club as he arrived from Tottenham in a deal worth £30million.
A sizeable figure at the time, Modric recovered from a inconsistent start to go on to be one of the best value signings in football history, playing an integral role in the Real midfield for over a decade and winning four league titles and five UEFA Champions League trophies.
After leaving the club on a free in July, Modric joined AC Milan and has shown no signs of slowing down with the 2026 World Cup on the horizon.
CDM: Michael Essien
The second former Chelsea player to feature in this XI, Essien spent the 2012-13 season on loan at the Bernabeu.
Against Osasuna he set up Gonzalo Higuain's and subsequently joined his team-mate on the scoresheet to double their advantage before running down to the touchline to celebrate with Mourinho.
Essien returned to Stamford bridge the following year before departing for AC Milan and later had spells with Indonesian side Persib Bandburg and Sabail of the Azerbaijan Premier League.
LF: Karim Benzema
When Osasuna mounted a second-half fightback to climb back on level terms it was Karim Benzema who restored the hosts' lead, skipping past a defender before driving his shot beyond Asier Riesgo.
That strike saw the him reach 20 goals in all competitions but the best was yet to come for the Frenchman as he went on to collect a host of accolades in Madrid, including the 2022 Ballon d'Or.
After bowing out as Real's second all-time highest goalscorer, Benzema became one of the first high-profile players to join the burgeoning Saudi Pro League when he moved to Al-Ittihad in 2023. He currently plays for Al-Hilal.
CAM: Mesut Ozil
Like many of his team-mates that day, the 4-2 win would prove to be one of Mesut Ozil's final games in the famous white shirt as he went on to join Arsenal that September in a deal worth a reported £45million.
The 2014 World Cup winner would go on to spend eight years in North London before he moved to Fenerbahce in January of 2021.
By this point injuries had taken their toll on the playmaker, and he called time on his career following a four-game stint at fellow Turkish Super Lig side Istanbul Basaksehir in 2023.
RF: Angel Di Maria
After earning a reputation as one of the best young talents in Europe during his time at Benfica, Mourinho made Angel Di Maria one of his first signings upon his appointment at Real Madrid.
Over the course of four seasons the Argentine wide man would fulfil his potential in La Liga, and in his final season played a key role in their historic 2014 UEFA Champions League.
An ill-fated switch to Manchester United threatened to curtail his momentum, but Di Maria refound his form at PSG before moving on to Juventus and Benfica. Now 38, he currently plies his trade at his boyhood club Rosario Central, and led the side to victory in the Argentina Primera Division in 2025.
ST: Gonzalo Higuain
One name conspicuous by its absence from the team sheet in Mourinho's final game in charge of Real Madrid is that of club talisman Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese star missed the final two games of the 2012-13 season with a reported back strain, leading to significant speculation that he was ready to leave the club.
Leading the line in Ronaldo's place against Osasuna was Argentine striker Gonzalo Higuain, and he duly netted the opening goal at the Bernabeu to put the hosts in front.
Ultimately it was Higuain rather than Ronaldo that would leave Madrid that summer as the club accepted a bid from Napoli to end his six-and-a-half year association with Los Blancos.
He later turned out for Juventus, AC Milan, Chelsea and Inter Miami in the MLS where he currently serves as a player development coach.
