Renato Paiva reveals the 5 Benfica players who impressed him most | OneFootball

Bernardo Silva, Rúben Dias - who received praise from Guardiola -, João Félix, Gonçalo Ramos, and Renato Sanches. These were the five players from Benfica’s academy who left the biggest mark on Renato Paiva. In an interview with the newspaper A Bola, the former coach of Benfica’s B team revealed that he feels proud to see ‘his boys’ reaching such heights in world football.

“Bernardo Silva, Rúben Dias, João Félix, Gonçalo Ramos, and Renato Sanches. Those five with whom I spent the most time working, with whom we moved up the ranks together. I didn’t have as much time with João Félix, he then took off,” said Renato Paiva.

“Helping to develop them, we all helped. Then there’s the player’s own part. It’s a two-way job. If the player doesn’t want it, there’s no coach, not even Mourinho, not even Guardiola, no one,” added Renato Paiva, highlighting that the athlete’s will is fundamental throughout the process.

“It’s undeniable that when we come into contact with these players at 15 or 16 years old, it’s a dream for them. I saw myself a lot in that, because it had also been my dream. I felt I was a very important vehicle for that dream. Many times I would get calls from parents to talk to the kids about topics that had nothing to do with football,” said the former coach of Benfica’s B team.

“We were that vehicle and they listened to us. When I see them reach where they have, winning awards and titles, I sit on the couch with a bit of pride, naturally. But the greatest pride should always be Benfica’s. These players are Benfica’s trademark,” concluded Renato Paiva.

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