Last Updated: January 24, 2023, 18:06 IST
Fernando Santos goes from teaching Cristiano Ronaldo to main one other soccer nice, Robert Lewandowski.
A month after parting firm along with his native Portugal, Santos was introduced in Warsaw on Tuesday because the coach of Poland’s nationwide staff.
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The 68-year-old Santos turned Poland’s third foreign-born coach — after Leo Beenhakker and Paulo Sousa — and arrives with expertise of main high-profile gamers reminiscent of Ronaldo, who Santos even benched final month throughout the knockout stage of the World Cup.
Now Santos can be teaching a staff captained by Lewandowski, the Barcelona striker who, at 34, is approaching the tip of his profession and may solely have the European Championship in 2024 and presumably the 2026 World Cup left to play on the worldwide degree.
Santos is tasked with bettering Poland’s underwhelming report at current main tournaments.
Since 1986, the nationwide staff has solely superior from the group stage at one World Cup (2022) and one European Championship (2016).
Santos, famend for being a practical, defensive-minded coach, has a great pedigree on the worldwide degree. In eight years with Portugal, he led the staff to the Euro 2016 title — the nation’s first worldwide trophy — and the inaugural Nations League title in 2019. He additionally coached Greece at Euro 2012, the place it reached the quarterfinals, and the 2014 World Cup.
Poland didn’t lengthen the contract of Santos’ predecessor, Czeslaw Michniewicz, after reaching the knockout stage of a World Cup for the primary time in 36 years. Michniewicz’s contract ended Dec. 31.
Former Portugal and South Korea coach Paulo Bento and Liverpool nice Steven Gerrard, not too long ago fired by Aston Villa within the Premier League, had been linked with the job after the Polish soccer federation stated it could be hiring a overseas coach.
Santos’ higher expertise may need made the distinction. On Monday, when it turned clear Santos could be employed, Polish Sports Minister Kamil Bortniczuk congratulated the soccer affiliation on Twitter on its resolution and known as Santos a extremely profitable coach with “expertise in working with nice stars” reminiscent of Ronaldo.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 employees and is printed from a syndicated news company feed)
