FROM MOURINHO’S FATHER TO MALAYSIA
Portuguese Nelo Vingada, who was hired in May to coach Malaysia, speaks exclusively to Ajitpal Singh including his relationship with Jose Mourinho
I remember a little boy coming with his father and playing with a ball on the field during the training sessions. Mourinho was about nine-years old then. He also played football but not at a high level but he played the game.
I became his lecturer at the University of Lisbon. I was teaching physical education and sports specialising in football and he was in my class.
As coaches, our teams met about four times. My team, Marítimo, who I coached between 1993-2003, beat his Benfica and Porto teams then.
I have an excellent relationship with Mourinho. As a person, he is very kind, jovial and has an open mind about things.
I was 18 years old when I played under Mourinho’s father. At that time, I was hoping to become a good professional… never thought I would eventually become a coach. When I was playing football, my dream was either to be a lecturer in physical education or pilot but I chose the former as I got the opportunity to study it.
My first coaching job was assistant trainer at Belenenses, a club where I had once played for under Mourinho’s father. is a big ‘no’ in football. These things affect your fitness and life.
I started working as his assistant in 1986 and together, we groomed a young Portuguese side who became runners-up in the UEFA Under-16 Championship in 1988 and UEFA Under-18 Championship in 1990. Our team then won the 1991 Under-20 World Cup in Lisbon. It was all about hard work. We had long and tough camps but of course, the players we had were also talented.
The successes of the youth teams eventually changed the mentality of footballers in Portugal. Footballers began to feel they could become world champions one day. Clubs in Portugal also started investing in good facilities with proper academies and training fields.
In Malaysia, clubs in the MLeague should emulate Darul Ta’zim. The club have good training fields, facilities. Players want to play for Darul Ta’zim because of the club’s facilities.
Iran are a country with not many facilities for football but yet they are the No 1 in Asia. I know this as I worked there twice in the past. Football is the No 1 sport in Iran and their people are crazy over the sport. It is normal to see children playing football on the streets. Football is a form of activity as there is hardly any entertainment in Iran. That is why Iran have many gifted footballers who are powerful in all aspects. It is, however, different in KL. We cannot find any space for children to play football.
In China, clubs spend billions of dollars hiring top class footballers but sadly zero is spent on development. All these so-called top players do not contribute anything. The league in China has too much money and very beautiful stadiums but their youth teams have never made it big in any competitions.
I realised this was a problem when I was coaching Dalian Shide (in 2011-12). I told my club president then to put aside 10 per cent of the budget for youth development. Investing in youth football is very important to tap talents.
If we are talking about volleyball or basketball then size is important as height is very important in these sports.
In football, height does offer some advantage but small size players can compensate with good technical abilities, fighting qualities and speed.
It is just a perception that taller players are better. Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta might be diminutive, but they are still among the very best in La Liga. Spain had the shortest average height among players for the 2008 and 2012 Euro and the 2010 World Cup but they still won the titles.
In Malaysia, players need to be confident against nations, whose footballers are naturally tall and well-built. This is why Malaysia do not have a good record against Arab teams.
It will take time. We came very close against a bigger-built Lebanon side recently. We lost to a late goal but we could have won or drawn the match. We matched them and created chances to score goals. I think the performance has given the players the self-belief.
No doubt, we need good results but it can only come when players are confident.
I came here for the challenge… I believe I can bring good things to the game here. I did not come here for the money… money comes and goes. I met FA of Malaysia (FAM) president Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim in May and we spoke about football here.
Tunku Ismail is determined to do only good things for football… he has a vision for the future. I believe that together with him, my staff and I can help the national team make inroads. Results and good things will remain forever in your history.
I hope I can bring happiness for Malaysia because that happiness will also be my happiness too.
I will be open to all club-level coaches here. I want to have a good relationship with all of them. A close working relationship will make my task easier in the long run. What the players do for the national team will also offer positives to their clubs. The objective now is to try to qualify for the 2019 Asian Cup.