José Mourinho was an authentic trailblazer, his astonishing success in Portugal, then abroad, paving the way for a series of Portuguese coaches to be trusted and hired by many of the world’s biggest clubs.
While the likes of Leonardo Jardim in France, Paulo Fonseca in Ukraine, Vítor Pereira in China, and Jorge Jesus and Abel Ferreira in Brazil – to name just a few – have overseen memorable triumphs at their clubs, it is in Portugal’s lower leagues that the “next Mourinhos” are currently honing their skills.
In the first of a series of interviews by James Rowe on football personalities with close links to the Portuguese game, 33-year-old Tiago Mota talks about his fledgling career and his ambitions.
Benfica are through to the next round of the UEFA Champions League after pairing Barcelona’s 3-0 defeat to Bayern Munich with a 2-0 victory at home against Dynamo Kyiv, this Wednesday.
It may have recently fallen out of the top five ranked footballing leagues on the planet, but the top flight in Portugal is home to some of the biggest teams around. FC Porto, SL Benfica and Sporting CP are regular participants in the Champions League.
FC Porto have been eliminated from the Champions League after losing 3-1 at home to Atlético Madrid on a tempestuous night of football, with both sides reduced to ten men.
Liga Bwin’s thirteenth round of matches may not technically be fully complete given the influence of Covid-19 but the seven matches that did go ahead provided plenty of talking points in Portugal this weekend.