They have known each other since they were boys, they were teammates, later they had a coach-player relationship, after that period they had common careers with different paths, they always remained close despite each having their own “group”. Ruben Amorim and João Pereira have several points of contact in football but they are also different people. When he passed through door 10-A in March 2020, the now Manchester United coach appeared smiling but he could not hide some shyness due to everything that was happening. This Monday, the former coach of the lions’ B team entered smiling, maintained his always relaxed posture in conversation with sporting director Hugo Viana and never changed his appearance whatever the issue. As Frederico Varandas highlighted, he is someone who breathes confidence.
In front of you, the “structure”. One of the biggest differences between the two presentations was the number of seats in the Alvalade VIP Hall, with a much larger turnout four and a half years later. Why? On the right side of the pulpit there were mainly directors from SAD and the club, on the left side there were concentrated elements from the most varied departments linked to football, from the rest of the technical team to scoutingfrom the entire area of activity to the Athlete Support Office, from communication to the Academy. This was one of Sporting’s main victories in recent years: building, or in some cases rebuilding, everything needed to bring athletes closer to success. João Pereira added another.
“It is a privilege, an honor and a source of pride to be presented as Sporting’s coach. I want to thank the confidence placed in me by the president and the [Hugo] Viana. I would also like to say a word of thanks to Ruben for what he did and what he achieved at Sporting. His legacy is not only achievement, but also unity within the entire sporting family. The future brings responsibility but it comes hand in hand with the ambition of making Sporting a club of the future. I ask the fans to continue to support the team as they have done in recent times, all together we will be closer to victory”, began by mentioning the new Leonine coach, in an introduction that seemed almost “decorated” and which, also for this reason, did not come out. as naturally as all the answers that would follow.
Despite having completed almost all of his training at Benfica, where he debuted as a senior without ever returning after leaving for Gil Vicente in 2006, João Pereira sees himself as someone from the house and, in a question asked by the club’s channel, he once again took over. that one of his main regrets was not being able to win more trophies for the Lions as a player in the three spells he had at Alvalade between 2010-2012, 2015/16 and 2021. “Now I want to respond by giving more titles. Sporting gave me a lot of things, it allowed me to join the national team, it allowed me to transfer to one of the biggest leagues in the world (Valencia), I returned home twice and only won two titles. I enjoyed this new stage of my career match with more titles”, pointed out the former international, remembering the Championship and Super Cup won by the green and whites.
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Below are several questions with Amorim’s common point. João Pereira never missed the opportunity to show all his confidence with a smile on his lips and not even the possibility of a negative scenario reversed his speech. “If I had doubts and if I thought it would go wrong, I wouldn’t be here, I would be at home with my children enjoying the break. That doesn’t cross my mind, there are a lot of games left. But we have to be positive and I am confident that things will go well”, he highlighted, before assuming the choice of Luís Neto for the technical committee: “I was the one who asked the president and Viana for Neto, because of the experience he has and because I have a lot of trust. It will be important, he has player experience and can give a lot.”
“Ruben Amorim? It was a very close relationship, there was very clean and clear communication because there were many players from team B training with team A and Ruben didn’t want to ruin the dynamics of team B. I have to be grateful for that. Afterwards, he always opened the doors for me to the first team, he always opened the door to training for me when he could. As for the personal aspect, it will be calm and patient. We will have to gain the players’ trust, it has been four and a half years of leadership and we need time but we will notice the differences. What can I add? When I said I wanted to be a coach, the goal was to get to a big club. Fortunately it was in this house, which is my house. I didn’t expect it to happen so quickly, but the opportunity arose and we are prepared for the challenges that lie ahead”, he highlighted.
“I haven’t been to Ruben’s office yet because yesterday [domingo] We had a game in Tábua against Oliveira do Hospital, which didn’t go the way we wanted. We arrived late and the only joy we had was the result of team A. There’s one thing I take from Ruben, I remember a conversation: ‘João, whenever you want to introduce a new idea or concept into your team and you can’t get through this in short, clear sentences, it’s because you’re not ready to pass yet’. And it’s true, I have to thank you for that. What did they ask me? To be myself, the biggest mistake would be wanting to imitate someone. It has to be step by step, calmly, you don’t change things from one day to the next. Who is João Pereira coach? Bring some things from João Pereira as a player, eliminate others… He’s someone who hates losing, who loves to win… I’m very competitive, I want my teams to be very fierce and I’m much calmer than when I was a player…”, he said, in a tirade who caused many smiles in the audience due to his temperamental manner.
“Sporting had four and a half years of leadership that developed a great relationship with all the players but now it will be a relationship that will evolve and consolidate. This was a process that had been in preparation for some time. Preparation has been done over the last few years, not just in the last week. I did my homework, I’m confident in what I can bring to the club. Pressure? Pressure is part of football, maybe I have that baggage from when I was a player. People will be curious, some will have doubts, the most important thing is that I and my coaching staff have no doubts”, he highlighted, also remembering the points of contact in the way the A, B and U23 teams played in the last three seasons: “ The players already have a lot of these behaviors and we will try to introduce our help.”
Finally, and in a more sentimental part, João Pereira also spoke about his father, a staunch sporting fan who fulfilled a dream when he saw his son represent the Lions – and now he will prolong that joy by seeing him in another position. “I still haven’t spoken very well to him, the only person who knew about it, besides the Board, was my wife. Not even my coaching staff knew because I didn’t want to create distractions on either team A or team B. I think that just today I’m going to give my father a big hug, who is a big sports fan. One of the greatest joys I gave him was becoming champion here and he had the chance to step onto the lawn with me and my eldest son, the other one hadn’t been born yet. He must be at home watching this and so, dad, a hug for you”, he concluded with a choked voice to a round of applause.
