The idea that one day José Mourinho might return to the Bernabéu had hung in the air, if not really as a serious possibility. Now the impossible is probable. The last time Mourinho was at the Santiago Bernabéu, he parked up in the bus. That night in late February, the Benfica manager was suspended - a red card from the first leg of the Champions League playoff meaning he wasn’t allowed on the touchline he had prowled 13 years and a lifetime ago. Real Madrid prepared a media booth for him to watch from: Cabin No 6 on the eighth floor, Spanish radio to the left, Portuguese to the right, stocked with nuts, fruit, salad, and jamón sandwiches. As kick-off approached, a crowd gathered by the door, camera phones at the ready. But Mourinho never showed. Instead, he stayed in the basement 10 floors below, watching from an iPad on board the bus and leaving the post-match press conference to his assistant, João Tralhão. The next time he comes - which could be as soon as this season ends - it is likely to be different. He is poised to be welcomed back as a saviour and their manager now, not hidden away. For a while, his has been the only candidate’s name that has remained constant and never dismissed from within, seeming more real with every day.