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Paulo Fonseca was presented as the new Sporting CP manager on Wednesday, a day after arriving in Lisbon, and immediately began training at the club’s academy in Alcochete. The appointment followed the departure of Rui Borges, with Fonseca signing a contract until 2030. The club is nine points behind the leader in the Liga Portugal, but the new coach is not concerned with the gap, focusing instead on building a winning team. He was presented at the Estádio José Alvalade at 20:00, an unusual time for the club, which typically holds presentations at 19:06 to mark its founding year.
A Childhood Dream Realized
Fonseca, a lifelong Sporting supporter, described the appointment as the realization of a dream. Cresci a vibrar com o Mészáros, o Jordão, o Manuel Fernandes, depois com o Carlos Xavier, Litos, Mário Jorge, Balakov, Douglas… adorava o Douglas.
Há sonhos que se tornam realidade.
E o meu sonho tornou-se realidade.
Estou no clube do meu coração
, he said during his official presentation. He recalled his childhood as a fan, traveling from the Margem Sul to watch games in Setúbal, and admitted the pressure to win. Tenho mesmo de ganhar, senão o meu pai vai fazer uma pressão terrível, já sei como ele é, é um pouco crítico e agora ainda vai ser mais… se quero aparecer lá em casa dos meus pais tenho de ganhar senão vou levar na cabeça!
O meu pai e a minha família são sportinguistas e quando somos miúdos passamos por todas as posições e eu queria ser o Mészáros, o Manuel Fernandes, o Jordão… É engraçado, chegamos a esta idade e os sonhos são possíveis
, he confessed, while crossing the Vasco da Gama Bridge on his way to the academy.
A New Era at Alvalade
The new manager emphasized his desire to build a team that plays football to make all Sporting proud. Uma coisa que me atraiu e motivou bastante é a qualidade deste jovem plantel
, he stated, adding that he is extremamente motivado para trabalhar com jovens de qualidade e em quem acredito imense
. His first training session took place at the Cristiano Ronaldo Academy, where he was joined by president Frederico Varandas and his assistant coaches. He repeated the instruction Passe mais forte
to the players during the session. Fonseca also addressed the team’s position in the league, stating São 9 pontos, mas acredito que no futebol não há impossíveis
. He had previously remained in Europe’s top five leagues to “prepare” for the moment he would be called to lead Sporting.
Focus on Immediate Victory
Fonseca’s first match in charge will be against Moreirense on Saturday, November 7th, at the Estádio José Alvalade. He has set a clear objective for his team: que possa entrar em todos os jogos com um único objetivo: vencer
. A verdade, confesso, é que acho que estou no momento certo para ser treinador do Sporting.
É o momento em que me sinto melhor preparado para enfrentar este desafio
, he concluded, expressing his commitment to the project. Before his presentation, he had terminated his contract with Lyon, a club that received five million euros for his release, with a social media message explaining that coaching Sporting was the fulfillment of a boyhood dream.
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