Former coach warns Sporting about Chiquinho: make him track back... | OneFootball

Chiquinho continues to gain traction as a possible Sporting signing for the 2026/27 season, and the man who knows the winger best believes that a move to one of Portuguese football’s giants is only natural. Bruno Pinheiro, who worked with the player at Estoril, has no doubts about the Alverca attacker’s ability.

The Portuguese coach, who recently ended his spell with KAS Eupen, recalls that Chiquinho’s talent was already evident several years ago: "Even back then, it was only a matter of time before he joined a big club. Wolverhampton moved first and took him to England halfway through the season," said Bruno Pinheiro, recalling the winger’s move to the English club.

The former Estoril coach believes the player’s profile fits perfectly with the needs of big teams such as Sporting, especially against opponents who sit deep defensively: "The big clubs always need to score lots of goals, they need players who can make the difference, and Chiquinho is that kind of player. It makes sense that he is being targeted by one of the big clubs in Portuguese football. Against very compact teams, the big clubs need players who can create an imbalance, and he has that profile," he said.

Bruno Pinheiro points to dribbling and one-on-one ability as the main weapons of the winger, who was partly developed at the Cristiano Ronaldo Academy: "Chiquinho’s main weapon is one-on-one situations. I particularly remember a match against Porto in which he ‘destroyed’ Wendel, who was the right-back. He is a player with easy dribbling ability and, on top of that, very strong in contact. Defensively, if the opponent switches off and lets him get into contact, Chiquinho will win the ball," he explained.

Although he acknowledges the player’s competitive commitment, the coach believes the attacker performs at his best mainly in attacking areas and not in more demanding defensive duties. "He stands out above all in the attacking side of the game, in one-on-one situations. He is very strong at dribbling," Bruno Pinheiro insisted, before adding: "He is a player who should not be given major defensive responsibilities, because that takes him away from the areas where he is most effective. Chiquinho is committed, but if you make him track back too much, he will wear himself out and move away from the area where he creates the most imbalance."

The former Qatar under-23 national team coach nevertheless rejects the idea that the winger is a weak player without the ball: "I’m not saying he is defensively poor, but rather that playing too deep takes him away from the areas where he has the most impact, which is in the final third," he stressed, leaving one final assurance about the attacker’s profile:

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