And that case with Costinha, after he wrote in the first edition of his book that it was he who tore Rui Jorge’s shirt in the Sporting dressing room, and not Mourinho, as they used to say? Have you already assumed that you were misled, that you had a passage removed from the following editions, but they were friends, you were even his deputy, and even then he sued you?
This situation shouldn’t have happened. It was the man who misled the book’s editor. I was in the dressing room, but I had no perception, I don’t remember, I don’t even know if I was in the shower or saw it and I let it go ahead. I also did not find such a relevant story, at least it could have been me. But it was not in a good way, I had to ask him first, it was a mistake. The editor refused. I automatically deleted the history. This process did not go well for me, and the editor put up with it. I was his assistant in Paços de Ferreira and Académica, but I did not identify with the work, I asked to leave, and from that moment there was no dialogue. I respect him as a person and a colleague, and he respects me.
But in the end, who tore Rui Jorge’s shirt?
I don’t even know now. Do not ask me to say anything more about this, otherwise I will still be sued (laughs).
Why have you never been a coach? Lack of vocation?
I have a profile, I have no psychological readiness to confront this situation. It takes a long time, I have to swallow a lot of frogs, often elephants, and I had to play football again 24 hours a day. And I don’t want that at this stage in my life. I turned to wine making, it takes less time, but this is also an occupation that I enjoy. I had this passion for several years, but when you play and drink a glass, people say that you drink two bottles, and if something goes wrong, they say that we drank until three in the morning (laughs more), so it couldn’t.
If you became a coach, would your style be closer to Sergio Conceição or Ruben Amorim?
They want to call me arrogant again (laughs). To be successful today, you need two things: communication and human relationships. It should be part of the coach. And you need to be honest and loyal to the players. This is why many coaches do not succeed, because more and more the player ceases to be the dumb player he used to think, who does not think about things. He knows how to speak, he knows how to communicate, he asks the coach’s opinion, he wants to learn, and he must adapt to this new reality, he must change the chip. Many simulators fail because they don’t change the chip. A coach who was a player cannot be just another player, he cannot give examples from the past, because through social networks you know everything that happened, what you did, how you did it, what kind of car you have, whether you have you wear a tie, shorts or slippers. It will be a mixture of Mourinho and Sergio Conceisau, as well as my personality, because we have our own personal imprint. And also a bit of Pepa, the cautious coach who knows what he wants, who surpasses no one in order to succeed. Ruben Amorim also communicates very well, he has good training methods.
Do you think Porto lasted until Sergio Conceição and Sergio Conceição remained? Or is there already some wear and tear?
No wear and tear. There is a project. FC Porto has had a project for four years now and has extended it for another three with Sergio Conceição. This proves that there is a line that the club wants: victory, which is always the hallmark of this house; but at the same time, empowering, empowering talented young people, gradually including them in the team, or some of them translating them for very high values. Today, the market, in addition to experience and titles, requires these players to move to other levels, and then monetize for sale. We are talking about a coach who has already won titles, has financially increased FC Porto’s treasury by 230 million in these four years, which is a lot for a club that has had a lot of financial problems and now allows him to hire the players he wants. team. He is a coach who knows the house, knows the city, identifies with the fans. Without forgetting Pedroto or Arthur Jorge, Porto did not have a coach with the same enigma that was as associated with the club as Sergio Conceição.
There is no doubt about Ruben Amorim, he is a champion. And Lord, should I leave Benfica after this time?
Clubs cannot change coaches year after year when things go wrong. It is unstable. Benfica has invested a lot of money this season, invested in players who probably didn’t adapt, not everything went well for them. With the investment in it, Benfica would have to win the titles, that didn’t happen, and when that is the case, everything is at stake. It so happened that half of the players did not sign Jesus. Of course, the responsibility always rests with him, he is the leader, he is the one who makes the players play. But, from my point of view, the scouting was done poorly, and now we have to draw conclusions from what went wrong and improve this season, which will be decisive. Benfica cannot make mistakes on the transition.
