Luís Figo on Benfica star linked to Euro giant: Handle it right | OneFootball

Luís Figo once again addressed José Mourinho’s name at a time when rumors continue to grow about a possible departure from Benfica to Real Madrid. The former Portugal international was asked about the Special One’s possible return to the Santiago Bernabéu and gave a very clear opinion.

“I didn’t know Mourinho was hard-handed. I’ve had him as a translator, assistant coach, manager, friend… and I never saw him as hard-handed... Honestly, I don’t think Real Madrid needs a manager with a hard hand, knowing the club, the environment and the atmosphere,” he said in an interview at a La Liga event.

Figo also highlighted that, in modern football, managing egos is one of the biggest challenges for any elite coach. “You have to know how to manage twenty-five people, twenty-five egos and, nowadays, besides understanding football, you need to know how to manage those egos in order to convince the players to move in the same direction,” he said.

The former Portugal international also took the opportunity to recall recent examples of success at the Spanish club. “If you look at the last coaches who were successful, such as Zidane, Del Bosque or Ancelotti, they do not have a tough profile, although they know how to impose discipline”, he said.

To finish, Luís Figo gave a strong conclusion about what he believes works at the Santiago Bernabéu. “This is my opinion as someone who was involved with the club: a hard-line style does not work”, he concluded, at a time when the future of José Mourinho continues to generate a lot of talk.

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