Ex-coach: Mateus Mide grounded thanks to family stability | OneFootball

“For practical purposes, Mateus Mide is, at this moment, the best under-17 player in the world.” This observation comes from Nuno Pimentel, the former coach of the Portuguese national team athlete who became the world champion in the category in Qatar, after the forward was named MVP of the tournament.

The praises are multiplying, and with that, the risk of idolization also grows. The coach believes this should not affect the young FC Porto player. “It's important to manage expectations, and his father, Mide, a former futsal player, will certainly be fundamental. Mateus is a young almost-adult, very well-mannered, well-educated, with strong family foundations and a good social context. He has a special charisma due to his spontaneous and fun nature, which doesn't stop him from working hard because he takes his work seriously,” emphasizing this family root: “The world has many stimuli, but I believe he is secure thanks to this family support. And also the people at FC Porto, who are attentive and competent, will not let anything change much in his little head.”

Nuno Pimentel extended his analysis to Rodrigo Mora, a former teammate of Mide in FC Porto's under-15 team, who has experienced an even stronger emotional impact. “Mora also has a context similar to Mide's, and they are similar even in charisma. I think it's no coincidence that they share these values, these principles of citizenship and life. With humility, but also with personality. They are well-grounded,” he stated, making a point to recall an episode he holds dear and which, in his view, shows the young man's mindset: “He was helping us in that 2021/22 season, we were already in the final phase of the championship, and in the third game, he suffered a micro-tear. I went with him to the doctor, especially because it's a sensitive age, and he learned that his season was likely over. When we left, he told me, ‘Coach, I will still play this year.’ And so it was, he worked and still helped us in the final matches. This shows a very important intrinsic motivation.”

As the person responsible for training, Nuno Pimentel followed the Under-17 World Cup with interest and experienced the Portuguese victory with emotion. “It's something that should make us proud as a country. We have a tremendous ability to nurture quality players, and I believe that, in recent years, the structures, working conditions, organization, FPF, associations, clubs... All of this, I believe, has allowed us to take this step. We always had quality players, but we didn't win titles or reach advanced stages. I think the development we achieved provided a mental shift, not just playing well but also winning games. The shift is in mentality. Not resigning ourselves to just participating, reaching the round of 16, the quarter-finals... And believing we have the tools to win. And this generation did that not only in a World Cup but also in a European Championship,” he stated, concluding: “That expression of ‘sweating blood’ sometimes makes all the difference, it really does, it's what turns good teams into winning teams. In this generation, we have players who can become figures in European football and already have this competitive mentality.”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.