Hugo Viana to Manchester City: From ‘planet’s best youngster’ to Sporting Lisbon’s ‘magic man’

It didn’t take long for Viana to be back in football, this time as an international relations director after being appointed by Sporting, based like Belenenses in Lisbon, in 2018.

A few months later he was named sporting director and, despite requiring a bit of time to adjust, with four different coaches and failed signings like Yannick Bolasie and Jesse Rodriguez, he eventually found his feet.

“He has grown significantly because he found the right context to do that as a professional and simultaneously help improve the structure,” Leonel Pontes, who worked as Sporting coach in 2019 and is now a technical director at Shanghai Shenhua, said.

“Between the seasons 2018-19 and 2019-20, the squad building was called into question, with unbalanced teams, which led to successive managerial changes.

“It doesn’t seem normal to me to have four different coaches in a single season, but in the end the decision to bring Amorim has proved very successful.”

It has been a turning point for Sporting in their recent history and also for Viana, of course.

Under Amorim, Sporting have won trophies again and finally found peace.

It’s no surprise they have been producing so many players.

While the likes of Joao Palhinha, Matheus Nunes, Nuno Mendes, Porro and Ugarte have been sold for high sums, others like Goncalo Inacio, Ousmane Diomande, Morten Hjulmand, Geovany Quenda and Viktor Gyokeres have stepped up and filled their shoes.

That’s been the result of the Amorim-Viana partnership.

They are long-time friends, having played together for Portugal and also for Braga.

But their bond grew especially strong when they were both approaching the end of their careers in the Middle East.

They would often meet in Dubai as Amorim was struggling to cope with injuries and had in Viana a shoulder to lean on.

“It’s great [to have one of my best friends working for me] but, at the same time, difficult,” Viana said.

“But we respect each other a lot, whatever we have to say, we say, whatever we have to discuss, we discuss. It’s been a nice challenge and positive for both of us.

“What we are all living at Sporting I was never able to live as a footballer. We sometimes look around us and don’t see what we do as work but like a pleasant thing.”

With Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola out of contract this summer, and his future uncertain, many in Portugal will be keeping a close eye on the prospect of Amorim and Viana reuniting a lot sooner than expected.