It's time for the revolution at PSG.
After extending its star striker Kylian Mbappé, the capital club is reviewing its organization chart.
The sporting director, Leonardo, will leave his place to Luis Campos, former AS Monaco and LOSC.
He may not be the only Portuguese to pack his bags in Paris.
The newspaper
Le Parisien
reveals that Ruben Amorim is "
the priority
" of Campos to succeed Mauricio Pochettino on the bench.
Based at Sporting Portugal, Amorim, 37, is one of the most coveted young coaches in Europe.
Honest career, duty player
Before putting on the suit, Ruben Amorim led his small playing career in Portugal.
Born in Lisbon, this former defensive midfielder, tough on the man and a true duty player, revealed himself to Belenenses before signing for Benfica in 2008. He played more than 150 matches there, interspersed with a loan to Braga between 2012 and 2013. His devotion opened the door to the Seleção (14 selections) with which he played two World Cups (2010 and 2014).
With Benfica, he lifted no less than 10 trophies, including three Portuguese league titles, and retired to the club in 2017, at the age of 32.
Read alsoStatus, history, project… Why Kylian Mbappé chose PSG
One of the most expensive coaches in history
He only spent two months on the bench of a professional team, in this case Braga, when Sporting Portugal broke the bank.
The Lisbon club spent €10 million to secure the services of Ruben Amorim, who at the time became the third most expensive coach in history (fourth today).
Two reasons for this.
First, Sporting, eternally forgotten in the championship behind Porto and Benfica, decides to take risks to finally reign.
Also, Amorim had an extraordinary debut in Braga.
He beat Sporting in the semi-finals then Porto in the final to win the League Cup.
He beat these same two teams in the league as well as Benfica.
Sporting is betting on him.
Is right.
The regilded coat of arms of Sporting Portugal
His debut with the Green and White Lions was quickly interrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The resumption of the championship nevertheless brings hope.
Sporting finished 4th and will play play-offs for the Europa League.
Bitter failure, elimination at home by the Austrians of LASK (1-4).
A blessing in disguise: with a lighter schedule, Sporting d'Amorim will ride on the competition.
It was not until the 33rd and penultimate day of the championship to see the Lions stumble, in the Lisbon derby at Benfica (4-3).
Regardless, Sporting are already champions.
A first since 2002. The hegemony of Benfica and Porto stops there.
Add to that a new League Cup, where Sporting took out Porto in the semi-finals (2-1) and Braga in the final (1-0).
Simple tactics, youngsters highlighted
Amorim's success at Sporting is not just a league title.
It is also a consistency and a clear game identity.
Sporting ended the 2020-21 season with the best defense in Liga NOS (20 goals conceded in 34 matches).
In his 3-4-3 system, Amorim does not revolutionize anything.
He does not play the tactical alchemist with overly complex circuits.
But he relies a lot on his lane players, and relies on his three attackers to initiate the pressing.
On good terms...
Under the orders of Amorim, Sporting, renowned for its training center, has seen the emergence of new nuggets: defensive midfielders Matheus Nunes and João Palhinha, attacking midfielder Pedro Gonçalves or left-back Nuno Mendes, whom Amorim could find at PSG.
4 players all become Portuguese internationals since.
"
We chose Ruben Amorim because he is able to value the players, especially those from our training center
", had justified the president of Sporting, Frederico Varandas.
Well seen.
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Nuno Mendes' superb assist for Kehrer during PSG-Brest last January (2-0)
An almost non-existent European CV
You didn't know Ruben Amorim until today?
If you don't watch the Portuguese league, that's normal.
Amorim's European experience as a coach comes down to the last Champions League campaign.
Sporting left their group with a breath in front of Borussia Dortmund and Besiktas, in the shadow of Ajax Amsterdam.
A group at a homogeneous level, not to say modest.
In the round of 16, the Lisbon people were shattered, at home against Manchester City (0-5).
The draw obtained on the return (0-0) is anecdotal.
“
It has nothing to do with the quality of the players or even with the money spent.
The real difference is at the level of the trainer.
They have more experience and a better coach than us
,”
Learning is painful, and moreover, Sporting leaves feathers in the league.
He finished 6 points behind Porto, the new champion.
Despite everything, he wins a new League Cup.
Amorim showed its limits in terms of managing a group and a European competition throughout the season.
That's exactly what PSG don't want to hear.
In Paris, Amorim would discover a locker room of stars.
There would also be a certain Pablo Sarabia, who is coming off an excellent season on loan to … Sporting.
