Climbing the pyramid

It is tempting to say that it is most challenging to coach in the top division, but then there is the reality of life in the lower leagues.

The biggest challenge is doing a lot with very little. Being professional in an amateur environment. How do I know this? Because before reaching the Primeira Liga, I worked my way through all the ranks of Portuguese football.

At the highest level – and I am talking about my team, Moreirense – the structure makes life easier for any coach. I have a technical team of eight professionals who help me prepare training sessions and analyse the opposition and our own team. The club has physiotherapists, nutritionists, press officers and a high-quality training ground.

The context is completely different from the so-called district categories – competitions organised by regional associations that form the basis of Portugal’s football pyramid. I remember that we used to train on a pitch that was divided into four or five, so that teams from other categories could use it at the same time. Sometimes we only had five balls to train 30 children.

As well as being a coach, you had to be a driver to take the kids to the pitch, fill in the match sheet, and keep an eye on player registrations. It wasn’t possible to simply enjoy being a coach, because the job came with many other roles – all of them, really.

“That experience ended up transforming my life”

And all for a symbolic salary. It wasn’t possible to make a living solely from football. During my 12 years in the regional leagues, I taught in schools and worked as a personal trainer to make ends meet.

That is why, when people talk about my age – which is often – I honestly don’t attach much importance to it. Yes I am 36, but I prefer to highlight the experience I have gained from 12 years in the district leagues and the last seven years in the national divisions. That said, I am also aware that experience on its own doesn’t count for much if you don’t know what to do with it.

My coaching journey began at Dramático Cascais, a club in the region where I was born. I was playing there when, at the age of 17, I was invited to become an assistant coach with the Under-7s. At the time, I still thought I would become a mechanical engineer. In fact, my dream was to work in Formula 1.

That experience ended up transforming my life. The opportunity to organise training sessions and follow the children’s development was very rewarding. So I forgot about engineering, gave up my dream of reaching Formula 1, and devoted myself to studying sports.

“With the Under-23s we won practically everything there was to win”

I spent 12 years at Dramático Cascais, working as an assistant coach and lead coach at every level, from the Under-7s all the way up to the first team – from children to adults. One of the highlights was gaining promotion from the second to the first district division with the Under-19s.

The work I was doing there caught the attention of Estoril Praia, a club operating at a higher level. Estoril play in the main national competitions, but the role they offered me was with the Under-11s. By then I’d finished my degree and felt ready to move on to something bigger.

In 2018, Estoril came back with a more solid offer: “We want you to take charge of the Under-17 team, a category that has good visibility in Portugal.” I accepted the challenge, and my career took a new direction from there.

At Estoril, I moved from the Under-17s to the Under-19s before taking charge of the Under-23s in 2020. It was only then, at the age of 29, that I was finally able to give up my other jobs and focus entirely on coaching.

With the Under-23s, we won practically everything there was to win. We won the national league and national cup in the 2020/2021 season. It seemed impossible to top those results, but we did it again in 2021/2022.

“It was my first big opportunity as a first-team coach. And it came at a club with a rich tradition”

Beyond the sporting achievements, we increased the market value of our players, which brought financial benefits to the club. We also managed to get many of them promoted to Estoril’s first team.

The Estoril Praia management wanted me to stay with the Under-23s, but I wanted a new challenge. My desire was to take charge of a first team, so I resigned. A few weeks later, I signed with União de Leiria.

It was my first big opportunity as a first-team coach. And it came at a club with a rich tradition, that had been managed by José Mourinho, Jorge Jesus and Manuel José – three of the greatest coaches, not just in Portugal, but the world. However, the situation at Leiria was challenging – the club had spent 11 years in the third national division.

In our first season, we achieved a long-awaited promotion to Liga 2 by becoming champions after defeating Belenenses, another club with a long tradition, in the championship final. Aside from the results on the pitch, I was proud of boosting the players’ value and, most importantly, helping the city of Leiria reconnect with the club.

“I had already decided not to continue at the club the following season”

The following season brought even greater challenges in the second division, but we performed well, staying clear of the relegation zone. We also reached the quarter finals of the Portuguese Cup – something the club had not achieved in 20 years. At that stage, we were defeated by Ruben Amorim’s Sporting.

As I had already decided not to continue at the club the following season, I reached an agreement with the board to step down at the end of the campaign. This would give the new manager more time to prepare for the following year.

My next challenge came again in Liga 2, at Alverca, who had just been promoted, so the main objective was to stay up. We arrived at Alverca when they were facing their fifth game of the season still searching for a win, having drawn three and lost one.

I often say that it takes seven or eight matches for myself and my coaching staff to start seeing our identity take shape in a team. This comes down to how we train, how we communicate our ideas, and how the players adapt. Usually, seven or eight games are enough to see the first signs of our style.

“It wasn’t a token answer. They genuinely believed the target was within reach”

At Alverca, after those first few games, we didn’t just start seeing our identity on the pitch. We also felt that something special was being built. I remember that halfway through the season, when we were in eighth place, I asked the players what they wanted to achieve. “Promotion, coach,” they said. “We feel we can beat anyone.”

It wasn’t a token answer. They genuinely believed the target was within reach, and that feeling was shared by everyone at the club.

In the second half of the season, we tweaked a few details to make our defence more solid. That helped us win practically all our matches against the teams above us in the table. We finished the league in second place and secured promotion to the top flight, something Alverca had not achieved for 21 years.

But the club was undergoing a restructuring of its board and it was difficult to know for sure what the club’s plans were for the following season. So I decided to seek a change of scenery and accepted the offer from Moreirense, who would also be competing in the Primeira Liga in the 2025/26 season.

“I have my ambitions, just like any professional”

I was drawn to what I heard from the people at Black Knight, a group that became the majority shareholder in Moreirense and also manages clubs in different countries. These include Bournemouth, Auckland FC and Lorient.

What makes the most sense to me, as a coach, is to feel aligned with the football project. A project is made up of people, and when everyone is united it is a huge step towards success.

I have my ambitions, just like any professional, and I try to focus on what is within my reach, without wasting time thinking about the difficulties. The rest will be down to time and the market.

The start of my work at Moreirense has been very positive. I hope that together we can take the club to new heights.