Rui Costa unveils José Mourinho at Benfica: It’s an honour | OneFootball

Rui Costa has already announced to Benfica's members and fans that José Mourinho is the new coach of Clube da Luz. The club's president announced the dismissal of Bruno Lage in the early hours of Tuesday to Wednesday, and two days later, he has already communicated the successor of the Portuguese coach.

"Good afternoon everyone. Thank you for your presence. As mentioned after the Champions League game, it was our wish to have a coach in Vila das Aves", began Rui Costa at the press conference held at Benfica Campus, in Seixal.

The club's president continued before answering some journalists' questions: "Mr. José Mourinho, with a winning profile, renowned, one of the most renowned worldwide, and it would be difficult to find a more renowned resume than José Mourinho's. I wish the greatest happiness to Mr. Mourinho, and it is a pride to have José Mourinho as the coach of Benfica".

Was it easy to hire Mourinho?: "It was a huge privilege for me to realize that he wanted to come and coach Benfica. It gave us the strength to believe we were with the right person. This made the choice and final decision easier, so we managed to be here so that Mr. Mourinho can already conduct this afternoon's training".

Is Mourinho an electoral trump card?: "I am here as Benfica's president, I am choosing a coach for Benfica. It confuses me that such terms are used. Our obligation is the future of the club, and not thinking about elections would mean leaving the club without a coach until the elections? Mourinho is Benfica's coach because we believe he has all the credentials to lead a club like ours. We considered that we had to change the technical team, and it had to be a coach capable of training a club of this size".

There have already been candidates saying they don't want Mourinho as a coach. Did you consider an interim?: "Mourinho explained how the contract was made, and I take the opportunity to thank Mr. Mourinho. There is a clause at the end of the season that allows whoever is leading the club to continue or not with the coach. We are hiring for Benfica a coach who is not indifferent at a global level, he is one of the most renowned names worldwide. Ensuring Benfica's future with a coach of excellence".

The role of Mário Branco in this hiring and the timing of the candidacy initiative: "I am here as president and not as a candidate, but my presence in Paredes was scheduled before the game with Qarabag. What happened happened, we had to make a decision, yesterday we contacted Mourinho so he could be here to give the training, so we have a coach on the bench on Saturday. Everyone has an important role in Benfica's structure, but thinking about José Mourinho is not such a difficult choice".

Too much responsibility on the coaches who worked with you over the years or higher up?: "I have never failed to take responsibility, the first responsible will always be me because I am the one who chooses the coaches. I am grateful to the coaches who worked with me over these 4 years, but that's life in football. In Latin countries, it is not always possible to have long-term coaches. Schmidt was a champion but did not have the success we expected, Lage started with the season already underway... I try to give continuity to the coaches until we understand that something needs to change. These are things that are part of football".

Is hiring Mourinho also to elevate Benfica to an even higher level?: "We always want the club to evolve in all areas. Mourinho's arrival is not about the stadium, but about what we want in sporting terms. We are talking about a coach who, despite wanting to split his career into two parts, is one of the best in the world, with the best image worldwide. That has its importance. Regarding the context, even the decision to come shows that it can be included in the club's decisions, at a stage where the objectives are intact. Card or no card, the big risk of the season was bringing a coach without this quality, who did not have enough baggage to face all this and lose the season. I can only thank him for accepting this challenge, to coach the football team. The rest will be other matters, it will also be our mission to protect the team from the elections"

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