Ex-Liga player hits out at Sporting: “Marco Silva to Benfica” | OneFootball

is getting closer and closer to succeeding José Mourinho as Benfica’s head coach and, for those who know him well, the Eagles seem about to secure the right choice. That is the conviction of Carlitos, a former Benfica player who worked with the Portuguese coach during their time together at Estoril.

Speaking to Renascença, the former winger showed enthusiasm about the possibility of seeing Marco Silva take charge of the Eagles: “I think Benfica would be making a great signing. It would be an enormous source of pride for me to see Benfica sign Marco Silva. Ever since I left Estoril, he had ambitions to coach a big club. He coached Sporting, that’s true, but I consider Benfica to be on a higher level,” he said.

Carlitos also rejected the idea that leaving the Premier League to return to Portuguese football could represent a step backward in the coach’s career: “Coaching Benfica is the pinnacle of any Portuguese coach’s career. It’s not a step back. Benfica is a huge club and, for a Portuguese coach, even more so,” argued the former Portugal international, who represented the Eagles in 51 official matches.

The former player also highlighted Marco Silva’s human and professional qualities, describing him as a reserved person, but with a very particular ability to build strong connections with the group. Carlitos went even further, calling him the best coach of his career, despite also having worked under José Mourinho.

Meanwhile, the agreement between Marco Silva and Benfica is already fully settled, although the official announcement still depends on events in Madrid. According to what has been learned, only after the Real Madrid elections, scheduled for Sunday, will Florentino Pérez announce José Mourinho’s return to the Santiago Bernabéu, if he is re-elected. Only after that confirmation and the payment of the release clause, set at 15 million euros, will Benfica be able to officially move forward with the presentation of Marco Silva as the new coach of the first team.

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