Rising By way of Benfica’s Ranks
João Félix. Rúben Dias. Renato Sanches. João Cancelo. Rúben Dias. Ederson. Bernardo Silva. What do all of them have in widespread? They’ve all gone from growing at Benfica’s academy to taking part in within the Premier League and UEFA Champions League, with all however Sanches successful the league title at Manchester Metropolis, they usually’ve all labored beneath the tutelage of Renato Paiva.
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“Bernardo Silva and João Félix have been very clear because of their expertise and technical high quality, while Rúben Dias was very clear for his self-discipline, his management, and his capacity to work,” said Paiva in an unique EPL Index interview. “Dias was a case of a participant who, we knew was going to be knowledgeable soccer participant. There was little doubt about his self-discipline, his physique, his management, his will to work, however his technical capacity wasn’t that robust. We’re seeing these days how centre-backs should be extra technically adept within the build-up play, and Dias has actually improved on this side.”
bernardo Silva 20 Man Metropolis in motion throughout the Premier League soccer match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Manchester Metropolis at Molineux stadium in Wolverhampton, England Photograph by Natalie Mincher/Sports activities Press Photograph PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxBRAxMEX Copyright: xx Sportspressphoto_SPR11637
“If you happen to informed me ten years in the past that he could be captain of Manchester Metropolis, I wouldn’t have believed it. I didn’t assume he would attain this stage, however he ended up doing so happily. Whereas not a brilliant technical participant, he was a participant who labored onerous to enhance and had management and self-discipline that belied his age. Renato Sanches mixed technical high quality with bodily power; he was a pressure of nature, however with wonderful technical high quality. João Cancelo additionally had distinctive technical capacity, while Ederson additionally had unimaginable qualities. All these gamers already gave us indicators that they might attain a really excessive stage, and we weren’t mistaken; they ended up reaching that prime stage.”
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Early Life and Inspiration
Born on March 22, 1970, in Pedrógão Pequeno, Portugal, Paiva began taking part in for his native facet however was pressured to name it quits on his skilled desires after turning 16 as his mother and father made him attend faculty fairly than going to coaching for the U-17s. However while Paiva by no means made it as a participant, he by no means strayed removed from the gorgeous sport and frequently consumed footballing magazines like Onze Mondial in addition to taking part in on the newbie stage. Equally to many others like James Richardson and Sergey Palkin, he’s proof that you simply don’t have to have been an amazing footballer to go away an impression within the soccer trade.
Constructing Benfica’s Academy Powerhouse
Paiva’s breakthrough got here in 2004 when he joined Benfica, who have been within the technique of present process a pricey renovation to their academy. Initially, Paiva was pressured to drive round Lisbon with a purpose to coach totally different age teams, however he would quickly have the possibility to get pleasure from a world-renowned academy that was constructed on his imaginative and prescient, with Paiva and the opposite coaches advising the builders easy methods to assemble the Seixal amenities to the tee.
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Quick-forward twenty years, and it’s clear that this funding has paid off: a current research by CIES discovered that Benfica has essentially the most worthwhile academy in world soccer with €516 million in switch income from youth merchandise over the previous decade, effectively forward of second-placed Ajax (€376 million). Paiva proved instrumental in Benfica’s ascension as one of many continent’s prime youth centres, moulding future Portugal internationals like Gonçalo Ramos, Silva, Dias and Cancelo. Nonetheless, not all of Paiva’s college students have turned out as superstars.
“There was a participant named André Carvalhas from the category of 1989 who we known as the Little [Fabrizio] Miccoli, he was technically unimaginable, he did wonderful issues in coaching, he was a really strong, full child who might rating and tackle his man in 1v1 conditions in addition to present assists and make nice passes.”
“I keep in mind seeing him throughout his early years on the Benfica Academy and pondering, ‘Going by what we noticed within the under-17s, under-18s after which under-19s, this participant could have an unimaginable future.’ He later coincided with Miccoli in Benfica’s first staff, who known as him up. They known as him the little Miccoli as a result of he did improbable issues, however he didn’t even make it to the U-19s for Benfica… while he ended up taking part in within the Primeira Liga, he by no means fairly established himself in world soccer. That is a kind of circumstances the place it’s important to say, ‘Okay, I used to be incorrect.’”
Adventures Overseas
Paiva managed Benfica’s varied age teams all the best way to Benfica B within the second division, however after being handed up for the first-team supervisor function for veteran coach Jorge Jesus, he determined to go away Portugal for the primary time in his life and be a part of Ecuadorian facet Independiente del Valle in December 2020. It didn’t take lengthy for him to adapt to the calls for of top-flight soccer, with Paiva shaping future PSG defender Willian Pacho and guiding IDV to a maiden league title.
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He departed after 17 months and began a brand new journey in Mexico, the place he spent six months in command of León earlier than resigning; after eight days out of labor, Paiva was employed by Brazilian facet Bahia on December 6, 2022, turning into the most recent Portuguese coach to make the leap to the Brasileirão after Abel Ferreira, Jorge Jesus, Bruno Lage, and extra. Paiva guided Bahia to the Campeonato Baiano however would final simply 9 months earlier than handing in his resignation.
“The distinction between Brazil and Portugal is large… it’s incomparable. Jorge Jesus grew to become the primary profitable Portuguese coach in Brazil when he joined Flamengo in 2019, opening the doorways of the Portuguese market to Brazilian golf equipment, who began searching for Portuguese coaches. Two days after leaving León, I used to be contacted by the Metropolis Soccer Group, who had purchased Bahia… I had the possibility to develop into Bahia’s first coach beneath the CFG possession. It’s candy, the CFG is a giant deal, and it’s good to listen to which you could be a part of a training group that belongs to a large group with a number of golf equipment world wide, Manchester Metropolis being a very powerful one.
“I interviewed with the CFG technical administrators and I actually preferred what I heard. They actually preferred my strategy to the sport, as a result of it’s considerably much like what Metropolis does. Metropolis Soccer Group approached me for that cause and already had my identify of their database after I was within the Benfica youth academy. They contacted me on a Wednesday, two days after I left León, and on Sunday, they determined that I used to be the coach. I went to Brazil with out actually realizing a lot about the way it was. After they got here to me, I actually pursued the Metropolis Soccer Group and ended up accepting, turning into one of many many Portuguese coaches to work in Brazil.”
“It’s one factor to listen to about it, nevertheless it’s one other to get there and work within the insanity that’s Brazilian soccer and arrive with a Metropolis Soccer Group mission. You must be affected person for issues to work out, and the supporters in Brazil don’t have any persistence in any respect. So there was this conflict between supporters who see the membership being purchased by the Metropolis Soccer Group, and whose expectations soar to develop into Brazilian champions and win the Libertadores, and so forth, however they don’t have the persistence to know that this was the 12 months Zero. We signed 25 gamers, we had a brand new squad. It’s a brand new staff, and we had no time in any respect to coach. I spent 9 months in Bahia the place we received a state championship and reached the semi-finals of the Copa do Brasil for the primary time, the place we misplaced on penalties at Grêmio.”
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Life After Bahia
Paiva spent a yr in command of Mexican facet Toluca, sowing the seeds for a sensational 2025 that has seen them stake their declare because the primary staff within the nation, earlier than returning to Brazil and becoming a member of a Botafogo facet that had just lately received two long-awaited trophies — the Copa Libertadores and Brasileirão title. After a blended begin to his tenure, Botafogo would begin discovering their footing with six wins from eight earlier than heading to america to participate within the FIFA Membership World Cup.
Botafogo kicked off the event with a 2-1 win at Seattle Sounders earlier than pulling off one of many biggest upsets within the event’s historical past by defeating newly topped European champions Paris Saint-Germain 1-0. After shedding 1-0 to Atlético Madrid of their last group stage match, Botafogo headed to Philadelphia the place they confronted off in an even-keeled battle vs. Palmeiras. In the end, it was Palmeiras who scored the only real purpose of the match in additional time to safe their spot within the quarter-finals, and it could find yourself being Paiva’s last match of his Botafogo tenure.
Ten days after kissing him on the cheek on dwell tv following their historic win vs. PSG, American proprietor John Textor had given Paiva his marching orders. For the primary time in his 55 years of age, Paiva had been sacked, a choice that prompted the outcry of Brazil’s main sports activities commentators from Leonardo Bertozzi to Paulo Vinicius Coelho. Nonetheless, he would final simply two weeks earlier than returning to the sport, taking cost of fellow Brazilian outfit Fortaleza, the place he would oversee simply ten matches earlier than being given the axe on September 2.
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“Right here in Brazil, you possibly can’t practice. Think about what it’s like taking part in 9 to 10 video games a month, you’re all the time taking part in each two to a few days, so that you don’t practice. You’ve got folks there who can do pre-season coaching, however those that can’t do it have already got a tough time. And then you definitely begin mixing within the regional cups, the league, the worldwide competitions, and your calendar turns into insufferable, you possibly can’t make time for something. There’s beginning to be much more accidents as a result of both you rotate the gamers extensively or gamers begin getting injured.”
“There’s huge stress from the followers on the managers, coaches, and gamers; it was one thing I’d by no means skilled earlier than. It wasn’t fairly like that in Mexico, the place you had time to coach. There was stress, however not like in Brazil the place it’s customary for followers to invade the coaching centre and violently confront gamers and coaches and demand issues from them. Coaches right here in Brazil have nearly no time to work, and my manner of taking part in requires time. You received’t discover a staff that performs equally to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester Metropolis, who solely received the Champions League seven years after taking cost. It took a very long time for it to work, and right here, there’s no persistence for that.”