Why are there so few French coaches abroad? And how can we explain the widespread presence of Portuguese coaches across the globe? These are two questions Franck Thivilier has often pondered. After a trip to observe Sporting and Benfica Lisbon, which was part of a UEFA mission, the former assistant technical director returned with some insights. "First, there's a cultural factor: Portugal is historically a nation of travelers, and through the challenges they have faced, they’ve developed a great capacity for adaptation," explains the coach about the country with 260,000 registered soccer players. "The second factor is its academic culture! In Portugal, 64% of professional coaches are not from the professional soccer world (compared to 23% in France)." This impressive number is encouraged by "inspiring figures," the most famous of whom is José Mourinho. "There, they talk about him starting with his journey, which began as Bobby Robson's translator at Barcelona, rather than his trophy cabinet. He gave everyone permission and proved that it was possible."
Brief
Franck Thivillier (2nd from right) with a CONMEBOL delegation in Portugal, including representatives from Argentina and Paraguay.