If there ever was a doubt on the credibility of Ruben Amorim's appointment as the manager of Manchester United, it vanished into thin air when Sporting thrashed the Premier League Champion Manchester City 4-1 in the Champions League. This was Amorim's last match at Sporting, and his team made sure that he walked off on a high note. Expectations are bound to shoot up after such a performance, but the Portuguese manager warned that "you cannot transport one reality into another". He added, "At Manchester United, you cannot play exactly like this. You cannot play so defensively and so there, we will have to adapt. Clearly, it is really difficult to beat this team and to beat Pep Guardiola. And he is not a worse manager than me."
Although the challenges that await him at United are entirely different, the experience of leading a fallen giant back to glory will surely come in handy. We list out five interesting facts about the new Man Utd manager that you might not know.
5 things about Ruben Amorim, Manchester United’s new manager, that you should know:
- Ruben Amorim Played With Cristiano Ronaldo
Amorim has had a fairly successful career as a footballer, spending six seasons with Portugal's top club Benfica, after joining them in 2008. Amorim played over 150 matches and also won a domestic treble. However, a nagging ligament injury cut short his career at top level, forcing him to join a club in Qatar. At an international level, Amorim made appearances for Portugal in two consecutive FIFA World Cups, in 2010 and 2014, in which he shared the field with Cristiano Ronaldo.
How Amorim Started His Coaching Career
Soon after his playing days were over, Amorim decided to foray in the world of coaching, taking his first step by getting a UEFA license in Belfast, which is where he learnt English. His first gig was at Casa Pia, an obscure, third-division side in the Portuguese League. It was at Bragga where Amorim rose to prominence, winning a title in his two-month sojourn, which convinced Sporting to gamble on him.
Amorim comes from the Mourinho School of Coaching
Amorim has graduated from the coaching school of Jose Mourinho, which he joined in the summer of 2018. Training under the world's most sought-after footballing mind surely honed Amorim's perspective. However, Amorim's playing philosophy stands in contrast with Mourinho. Amorim likes to play a high-energy possession-based game, but when met with a team that can play this brand of football better than his team, he doesn't mind tweaking his style.
Amorim built a legacy at Sporting
Sporting took a huge risk by gambling on a young manager with nothing impressive to show for, but it paid off. Amorim built a victorious legacy at a club that had previously failed to win the domestic league in 19 years, guiding them to the league crown in 2020/21, and again in 2023/24. Sporting's winning percentage under Amorim is second to none in European competition.
Amorim doesn't like fancy cars
Amorim is quite modest when it comes to his lifestyle. When Petter Skogsletten and Geoff Labine went to intern under him at Sporting, they saw Amorim driving a cube-shaped smart car to training. "I would joke with Ruben because he's driving the most unassuming Smart car… those little cube cars," Labine revealed a sports news site. "I'm looking for the Maserati or the Bugatti or something. He goes: 'No Geoff, you don't understand. I'm different. I'm not like that.'"
