How a Lake Como café sparked a bond between Farioli and Villas-Boas | OneFootball

Francesco Farioli explained a light-hearted exchange he had with André Villas-Boas during the champions’ dinner. “You created a problem, I told him. When the time comes to leave here — I used to go around with a large coaching staff — I’ll have to ask to take the president with me too [laughs],” said the FC Porto coach with a smile. “I love where I am,” he stressed, highlighting a connection, “above all a human one,” which began at Lake Como, where coach and president first met. “When he started talking, I said, ‘Hmm, this doesn’t seem like just a coffee between two coaches. I believe something is going on.’ I started to change my mindset. A few minutes later, I was hoping that conversation would lead to the possibility of us working together,” Farioli said, referring to a president who is “truly present.”

“When we play three games a week, on every match eve, he is there. And the other people who are closest to me, Tiago Madureira and Henrique Monteiro, are always there too. It’s something I always demand at any club where I work, and here I didn’t even need to ask,” said the coach, who exactly a year ago had “offers from second-division clubs and from clubs that were going to fight against relegation in Serie A.” “I feel drawn to stepping into situations that are losing direction. I was looking for a club where I could have people with the same level of motivation,” Farioli concluded.

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