Bruno Andrade praises Benfica's new football chief | OneFootball

The way José Mourinho left Benfica to return to Real Madrid continues to spark debate in the Benfica world. Bruno Andrade analyzed the final months of the coach from Setúbal’s time at the Luz and felt that his declared love for the club was not matched when it came time to say goodbye.

The commentator recalled several episodes involving Mourinho throughout the season, from his participation in Benfica’s elections to his public statements about his emotional connection to the Club. “He was one of the 93,000 members who made history in the first round of the recent Benfica presidential election and made the weight of his 20 votes count. He said there was a ‘99 percent chance of staying’ and opened his heart by revealing that he had ‘spent his whole career disguising what he felt for Benfica’,” he wrote.

“He ended up, however, becoming a public electoral asset for Real Madrid and appearing in Florentino Pérez’s promotional video wearing the merengue shirt. José Mourinho’s Benfica loyalty counted for little at the end of the season, as did his current contract with the club,” he added.

By contrast, Bruno Andrade highlighted the approach adopted by Marco Silva since being announced as Mourinho’s successor in charge of the Eagles. According to him, the new coach avoided resorting to emotionally charged rhetoric and chose a more balanced, institutional stance.

“He preferred, and rightly so, a different path. A measured one. It is true that he did not hide the weight of the ‘emotional side’ in his return to Portugal, but at no point did he slip into populist rhetoric. Being a Benfica fan is a virtue, and I understand that — just as I do for those who support Porto, Sporting, Corinthians, among others. It is by no means a trait, let alone a basic requirement, to work at the highest level,” he said.

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