A few weeks ago, Leonardo Jardim defined for us the contours of his future, which he only imagined at the time, at the head of an ambitious club.
Failing to be offered a sufficiently interesting project in Europe, he decided to join the team of Shabab Al-Ahli, fifth in the football league of the United Arab Emirates.
"A contract has been officially signed with the Portuguese Leonardo Jardim as technical director of the team next season," Shabab Al-Ahli said on Twitter.
Before joining the Dubai club, seven times national champion, the 47-year-old Lusitanian coach had previously, in particular, coached the Portuguese teams Braga and Sporting, then Olympiakos and Monaco, champion of France in 2017, twice.
تعلن شركة نادي شباب الأهلي لكرة القدم، عن تعاقدها رسميا مع البرتغالي ليوناردو جارديم مديرا فنيا لقيادة الفريق الأول في الموسم المقبل، ويأتي ذلك في اطار حرص الشركة على تسخير كل الامكانات وتهيئة الظروف المناسبة لتحقيق الإنجازات التي تليق بتاريخ واسم النادي الكبير.
pic.twitter.com/O60c00G5a9
— نادي شباب الأهلي (@Shabab_AlAhliFC) June 8, 2022
In the wealthy Gulf emirate, he succeeds local coach Mahdi Ali, who left empty-handed at domestic level last season but led the team to the knockout stages of the Asian Champions League.
Jardim led Saudi club Al-Hilal to Asian Champions League victory last season.
He had presided over the technical destinies of the Ryad club between June 2021 and February 2022, before the Saudi team terminated his contract by mutual agreement.
Asked about the danger for him of disappearing from European radars to respond favorably to more exotic championships, he was unequivocal.
“I took risks all my career and I assumed them.
When I joined Al-Hilal, it was part of my desire to discover another country, he said.
I was able to adapt to a different culture and specific behaviors.
On a sporting level, I won the Asian Champions League, a very important competition.
I had an enriching experience for 9 months”.
