Paris: Twenty one years ago it was Jose Mourinho, Now Ruben Amorim is likely to become the next European coaching superstar in the Premier League from Portugal.
Mourinho was 41 when he left Porto to join the Chelsea team intended to dominate English football after being taken over by Roman Abramovich.
Amorim, now 39, is favored to replace the struggling Klopp at Liverpool.
Another coach came from Portugal with a good reputation. Andre Villas-Boas failed to live up to Mourinho’s expectations after leaving Porto for Chelsea in 2011.
But everything about Amorim suggests that, as Mourinho made his name in 2004, he could be something very good.
“I don’t know if it will be good or bad, but it will happen,” Amorim told Tribuna Expresso in 2017 when he confirmed his coaching plans.
He retired from playing at the age of 32 after his successful career was plagued by injuries.
Amorim made a name for himself as a coach in Sport, but also as a player for his rival Benfica, a club he always supported and became a ‘social’ club (member) since its birth.
Of course, only time will tell and you need a lot of luck,” he said.
Amorim started playing for Beléns, a modest outfit from Belem on the outskirts of Lisbon, famous for its guards.
He worked under Jorge Jesus and helped them finish fifth in the 2007 Portuguese Cup final.
He joined Benfica in 2008 and met Jesus a year later. Amorim played mainly on the right as part of a team that featured David Luiz and Angel Di Maria.
The following season, Benfica was defeated by Villas-Boas’ Porto and Amorim suffered a knee injury.
He needed a long loan at Braga to restart his career and returned to Benfica with Jesus in 2013/14.
Usually in the midfield, Amorim won the domestic competition and lost to Sevilla in the Europa League final.
His career was cut short due to injury and he missed playing days in Qatar.
