Former Chiquinho coach warns Sporting: If they make him track back... | OneFootball

Chiquinho continues to gain momentum as a possible Sporting signing for the 2026/27 season, and the man who knows the winger best believes that a move to one of Portuguese football’s giants is only natural. Bruno Pinheiro, who worked with the player at Estoril, has no doubts about the Alverca attacker’s ability.

The Portuguese coach, who recently ended his spell at KAS Eupen, recalls that Chiquinho’s talent had already been evident several years ago: "Even back then, it was only a matter of time before he joined a big club. Wolverhampton moved first and took him to England midway through the season," said Bruno Pinheiro, recalling the winger’s transfer to the English side.

The former Estoril coach believes the player’s profile fits perfectly with the needs of big teams such as Sporting, especially against opponents who sit deep defensively: "The big clubs always need to score a lot of goals, they need players who can make the difference, and Chiquinho is someone who can do that. It makes sense that he is being targeted by one of Portuguese football’s big clubs. Against very defensive teams, the big clubs need players who can make the difference, and he has that profile," he said.

Bruno Pinheiro points to dribbling and one-on-one ability as the main weapons of the winger, who spent part of his development at the Cristiano Ronaldo Academy: "Chiquinho’s main weapon is his one-on-one ability. I particularly remember a game against Porto in which he 'destroyed' Wendel, who was playing at right-back. He is a naturally gifted dribbler and, on top of that, very strong in physical contact. Defensively, if the opponent switches off and lets him get into contact, Chiquinho will win the ball," he explained.

Although he acknowledges the player’s competitive commitment, the coach believes the attacker performs at his best mainly in attacking areas rather than in more demanding defensive duties. "He stands out, above all, in the attacking phase, in one-on-one situations. He is very strong in dribbling," Bruno Pinheiro insisted, before adding: "He is a player who should not be given major defensive responsibilities, because that takes him away from the areas where he is most effective. Chiquinho is committed, but if you make him track back too much, he will wear himself out and move away from the area where he causes the most problems."

The former Qatar Under-23 coach still rejects the idea that the winger is a weak player without the ball: "I’m not saying he is defensively poor, but rather that playing too deep takes him away from the areas where he has the most impact, which is in the final third," he stressed, before offering one final guarantee about the attacker’s profile: "With the ball, in one-on-one situations, he takes defenders on and is very hard to stop."

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