Since José Mourinho took the Premier League by storm in 2004 with his promise that he was a “Special One” – a promise he lived up to by winning Premier League titles with Chelsea FC – several English clubs have looked to Portugal hoping to replicate that same magic.
But while many Portuguese managers have been hired by Premier League clubs since then, with varying degrees of success, none of them have been able to have the same kind of game-changing impact that Mourinho had nearly two decades ago.
There is a coach who many believe could change that: Rúben Amorim. The 38-year-old is on the verge of winning his second league title in four years for Sporting CP (a club which before his arrival went nearly 20 years without a league title). His resumé also includes three Portuguese League Cups (two for Sporting CP and another for SC Braga) and one Super Cup (Sporting CP), with a chance to win his first Portuguese Cup in May against FC Porto.
Just last week, the speculation surrounding his possible move to the Premier League was confirmed when Amorim was photographed boarding a plane to London, where he is rumoured to have met with representatives from West Ham FC. His name has also been pitched as a possible replacement of Jürgen Klopp, the charismatic German coach who is leaving Liverpool after nine seasons at the club.
Speaking to the press ahead of Sporting CP’s all-important away match against FC Porto last weekend (which ended in a 2-2 draw which made Sporting CP the overwhelming favourite to win the league, with a five-point advantage over Benfica with just three matches to go), Amorim admitted that the trip to London before such an important match had been a mistake.
“Obviously, it was a mistake on my part to travel; the timing was completely off, it didn’t seem that way to me at the time. It was ill-timed, especially considering how demanding I am with my players,” Amorim told reporters.
After the match, he insisted that his future after this season is as much a mystery to him as it is to everyone else. But one thing seems certain: should he be interested, he could be the next Portuguese manager to try to live up to the high standard set in the Premier League by José Mourinho.
By Michael Bruxo
michael.bruxo@portugalresident.com
