Rui Borges on Sporting's Champions League run: It was unthinkable | OneFootball

Still recovering from the draw conceded in the final moments against Braga (2-2), Sporting now turns its attention to the Champions League. The Lions are preparing for the round of 16 tie against Bodø/Glimt, with the first leg scheduled for Wednesday in Norway, and the second leg set for March 17 at the Estádio José Alvalade.

In the lead-up to this European clash, UEFA highlighted Rui Borges, aiming to shed light on the career of the coach who started at Mirandela and eventually led Sporting to a historic double championship, crowned with the double win last season. From his beginnings in Portuguese football to recent achievements with the Lions, the coach spoke about the evolution of his career and also about the club's campaign in the main European club competition.

“Nowadays, stadiums have electronic scoreboards. I started back then, in small clubs, where there are no scoreboards, where I had to have a stopwatch to control the game and time. So I got used to it, and it's something that identifies me, it's simple, it's pure, just like me. And even knowing there is a scoreboard, I always look at the watch. It very much identifies what has been the journey of our coaching staff, symbolizes everything we have been able to overcome and achieve throughout this year, all these years, until reaching Sporting.”

Connection to Mirandela

“Mirandela means a lot to me, the club itself means a great deal. Because it gave me the opportunity to grow as an athlete and to chase a dream. Even being on a different level, I haven't changed. That's why they identify with me, because I continue to be the same Rui Borges, the same Rui. The person who coached Mirandela is the same who coaches Sporting. Absolutely nothing has changed. It makes me happy because people somehow identify with me, in what is my personality and my character.”

Career Rise

“I look at the speed of our competence over time. Because luck takes work. We had difficult opportunities, but above all, we knew how to seize them. It dictated what our path was, my path. Because if at any moment we weren't capable, the path would be different. And maybe even today, I would still be coaching Mirandela.”

Champions League Campaign

“The team has had infinite ambition, but fantastic rigor and commitment, which led us to have a wonderful campaign. For me, as a coach, it was very good. In the first season that I lead the Champions League from the start, finishing in the top 8, among the best, was unthinkable. I think no one in Portugal believed that Sporting would be in the top eight. Therefore, it greatly values, even more, what our journey has been, our path. May it continue like this because we want to be among the best, we want to compete in this Champions League to the end in the best way and make history for Sporting in the competition.”

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