Rui Borges returns to FC Porto for his “dream role” in swimming | OneFootball

Rui Borges has been announced as the new coach of FC Porto's swimming section, returning to the club three decades later as the most decorated athlete in the history of the sport, the blue and white emblem reported this Friday.

The new head coach comes from Clube Fluvial Portuense, which he has been leading since 2012/13, after stints at Sporting de Braga and Leixões, and replaces José Manuel Borges, who will remain on the coaching staff with greater responsibility in the open water segment.

"It's a dream. This is my dream job. I was an athlete here for 28 years, left exactly 30 years ago, but this has always been my club at heart, naturally. I worked at other clubs, fought against FC Porto – it had to be because that's the role of a professional – and now it's a huge pleasure to return to this home," expressed Rui Borges, in statements conveyed by FC Porto's media.

A record holder of medals for the Porto emblem, Rui Borges accumulated 258 national champion titles over 28 years as a swimmer, retiring in 1995. He represented Portugal at the Seoul Olympics in 1988 and then embarked on a coaching career that now spans 30 years.

"It's a different Rui Borges from the one who left here as an athlete, it's Rui Borges the coach. The one who left was the club's athlete who gave everything in the water for the team and his colleagues. I even did my first year as a coach here, with the juniors, as Teresa Figueiras' assistant, and in the other 29 years, I went through SC Braga, Leixões, and Clube Fluvial Portuense. It was many years of learning. Being a high-performance swimmer helped a lot, but experience is gained through work," he stated.

The coach set goals to reestablish the national dominance of the section and ensure participation in international competitions, such as World Championships and Olympic Games, with as many athletes as possible.

"We will try to put our club back at the top of national swimming, in collective terms, and achieve international participation in World Championships and Olympic Games, with as many athletes as possible in these competitions, because we have spectacular training conditions. We need to believe: we will all start believing from now on and work hard for it," he assured, adding that the management and the club are committed to making the section competitive.

The hiring of Rui Borges signifies, at 58 years old, the return of one of FC Porto's most celebrated figures, now tasked with forming a new generation of swimmers to compete on the most demanding international stages.

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