Ex-coach hails Mateus Mide’s family, tips him to stay grounded | OneFootball

“For practical purposes, Mateus Mide is currently the best under-17 player in the world.” This observation comes from Nuno Pimentel, the former coach of the Portuguese national team athlete who became the world champion of the category in Qatar, after the forward was named the tournament MVP.

The praises are multiplying, and with that, the risk of idolization also grows. The coach believes that this should not affect the young FC Porto player. “It is necessary to know how to manage expectations, and his father, Mide, a former futsal player, will certainly be fundamental. Mateus is an almost adult young man, very well-educated, with strong family foundations and a good social context. He has a special charisma due to his spontaneous and fun nature, which does not prevent him from working hard, because he takes his work seriously,” emphasizing that family root: “The world has many stimuli, but I believe he is secure with that family support. And also the people at FC Porto, who are attentive and competent, will not let anything change much in his little head.”

Nuno Pimentel extended the analysis to Rodrigo Mora, Mide's former teammate in FC Porto's under-15s, who has experienced a trajectory with an even stronger emotional impact. “Mora also has a context similar to Mide's and they are alike even in charisma. I think it's no coincidence that they share these values, these principles of citizenship and life. With humility, but also with personality. They are well-grounded,” he stated, making a point to recall an episode he holds with special affection and that, in his view, shows the young man's way of thinking: “He was helping us in that 2021/22 season, we were already in the final phase of the championship, and in the third game he suffered a micro-tear. I went with him to the doctor, especially since it was a sensitive age, and he learned that his season was likely over. When we left, he told me, ‘Coach, I will still play this year.’ And that's what happened, he worked and still helped us in the last matches. This shows a very important intrinsic motivation.”

As the person responsible for training, Nuno Pimentel followed the under-17 World Cup with interest and experienced the Portuguese victory with emotion. “It's something that should make us proud as a country. We have a tremendous ability to develop quality players, and I believe that, in recent years, the structures, working conditions, organization, of the FPF, the associations, the clubs... All of this, I believe, has allowed us to take this step. We have always had quality players, but we didn't win titles or reach the later stages. I think the development that has been achieved has provided a mental shift, not only to play well but also to win games. The shift is in mentality. Not resigning ourselves to just participating, reaching the round of 16, the quarter-finals... And believing that we have the tools to win. And this generation did that not only in a World Cup but also in a European Championship,” he stated, concluding: “That expression of ‘sweating blood’ sometimes makes all the difference, it really does, it's what turns good teams into winning teams. In this generation, we have players who can become figures in European football and already with this competitive mentality.”

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