Ruben Amorim
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Ruben Filipe Marques Amorim (; born 27 January 1985) is a Portuguese professional football
manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...
, a former player and the current manager of
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
club
Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
. As a footballer, Amorim played as a
midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...
. He spent most of his professional career with
Belenenses Clube de Futebol Os Belenenses (), commonly known as Os Belenenses or simply Belenenses, is a Portuguese sports club best known for its football team. Founded in 1919, it is one of the oldest Portuguese sports clubs. It is based in the 19,856 ...
and Benfica, signing with the latter in 2008 and going on to win ten major titles, including three league titles, one
Taça de Portugal The Taça de Portugal (; ) is an annual association football competition and the premier knockout tournament in Portuguese football. For sponsorship reasons, it has been known as Taça de Portugal Generali Tranquilidade since the 2024–25 seaso ...
, five Taças da Liga and one
Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira The Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira (; English: Cândido de Oliveira Super Cup, or simply Portuguese Super Cup) is an annual Portuguese association football, football match played since 1979 between the winners of the top-tier league (Primeira L ...
. He represented
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
in two
FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often called the World Cup, is an international association football competition among the senior List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the members of the FIFA, Fédération Internatio ...
s, earning a total of 14
caps Caps are flat headgear. Caps or CAPS may also refer to: Science and technology Computing * CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters * Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Java ...
. After retiring as a player in 2017, Amorim began his coaching career at
Casa Pia The Casa Pia is a Portuguese institution founded by Maria I, known as ''A Pia'' ("Mary the Pious"), and organized by Police Intendant Pina Manique in 1780, following the social disarray of the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. For almost three centurie ...
in 2018, before resigning that same year amid a dispute with the
Portuguese Football Federation The Portuguese Football Federation ( , FPF) is the governing body of Association football, football in Portugal. The federation was formed in 1914 as Portuguese Football Union (, UPF) by the three existing regional associations of Lisbon Footbal ...
(FPF). He was then appointed head coach at Braga's reserve team, popularly known as Braga B, before taking charge of the
Braga Braga (; ) is a cities of Portugal, city and a Municipalities of Portugal, municipality, capital of the northwestern Portugal, Portuguese Braga (district), district of Braga and of the historical and cultural Minho Province. Braga Municipality ...
senior side in December 2019, winning the 2020 Taça da Liga. In March 2020, Amorim was appointed manager of
Sporting CP Sporting Clube de Portugal (), otherwise referred to as Sporting CP or simply Sporting (particularly within Portugal), or as Sporting Lisbon in other countries,
, becoming then the third most expensive manager ever. In his first season, Amorim guided the club to a
double Double, The Double or Dubble may refer to: Mathematics and computing * Multiplication by 2 * Double precision, a floating-point representation of numbers that is typically 64 bits in length * A double number of the form x+yj, where j^2=+1 * A ...
by winning both the Taça da Liga and the Primeira Liga, ending the latter's 19-year league title drought. These achievements won him the Primeira Liga's Manager of the Year award for the 2020–21 season. He later led them to another Primeira Liga title in the 2023–24 season, being named for the second time Primeira Liga's Manager of the Year. He left the club for Manchester United in late 2024.


Club career


Early career

Amorim began his career with Benfica, playing in the youth team alongside Bruno Simao and
Pedro Russiano Pedro Miguel Braço Forte Russiano (born 19 November 1984), simply known as Pedro Russiano is a Portuguese former footballer and current manager. Career Russiano played in the Benfica youth team with Ruben Amorim and Bruno Simão. Russiano ...
.


Belenenses

After being released by Benfica, Amorim went on trial with
Belenenses Clube de Futebol Os Belenenses (), commonly known as Os Belenenses or simply Belenenses, is a Portuguese sports club best known for its football team. Founded in 1919, it is one of the oldest Portuguese sports clubs. It is based in the 19,856 ...
at the suggestion of Simao, playing with a broken arm. Amorim made his debut in the
Primeira Liga The Primeira Liga (), also known as Liga Portugal Betclic for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Portugal and the highest level of the Portuguese football league system. Organised and supervised by the Liga ...
on 14 December 2003, playing one minute for Belenenses in a 2–0 home win against Alverca. He played in the 2007 Portuguese Cup final for the club.


Benfica

In late April 2008, Amorim signed a four-year deal with Benfica after his Belenenses contract expired. During his first season he was a regular starter, scoring his first goal on 23 November in a 2–0 away victory over Académica de Coimbra. Competing with new signings
Javi García Francisco Javier "Javi" García Fernández (; born 8 February 1987) is a Spanish former professional footballer. A defensive midfielder by nature, he could also appear as a central defender. He started his career with Real Madrid, but repr ...
and Ramires, Amorim appeared less in 2009–10, but still featured prominently (24 matches with ten starts) as the side won the league – and the League Cup – after a five-year drought. When healthy, he was again regularly used by manager
Jorge Jesus Jorge Fernando Pinheiro de Jesus (; born 24 July 1954) is a Portuguese professional Association football, football Manager (association football), manager and former player. Most recently he was the manager of Saudi Professional League, Saudi P ...
in the 2010–11 season. On 19 January 2011, however, after undergoing surgery on both knees, he was sidelined for several months. In early October 2011, whilst on duty with the
national team A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport. The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exa ...
, Amorim criticised Jesus' preferences – Benfica played most of their games without a single Portuguese player. Increasingly disgusted with his plight, in December, he refused to train with the bench players – after warming up for several minutes only to not be used – following a game against Rio Ave, being subjected to the club's disciplinary proceedings; on 30 January 2012, a loan was arranged with Braga until June of the following year. In 2013–14, Amorim returned to the
Estádio da Luz The Estádio da Luz (), officially named Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica, is a multi-purpose stadium located in Lisbon, Portugal. It is used mostly for association football matches, hosting the home games of Portuguese club S.L. Benfica, Ben ...
and played 37 matches across all competitions, helping to win an unprecedent treble of
league League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football * ''League of Legends'', a 2009 multiplayer online battle a ...
,
Taça de Portugal The Taça de Portugal (; ) is an annual association football competition and the premier knockout tournament in Portuguese football. For sponsorship reasons, it has been known as Taça de Portugal Generali Tranquilidade since the 2024–25 seaso ...
and
Taça da Liga The Taça da Liga (), known outside Portugal as Portuguese League Cup, is an annual club football competition organised by the Liga Portuguesa de Futebol Profissional (LPFP) for teams competing in the top two tiers of Portuguese football – the ...
. At the beginning of the following campaign, he featured the full 120 minutes to help his team defeat Rio Ave in the
Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira The Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira (; English: Cândido de Oliveira Super Cup, or simply Portuguese Super Cup) is an annual Portuguese association football, football match played since 1979 between the winners of the top-tier league (Primeira L ...
, thus winning four titles in 2014. On 24 August, however, he got severely injured while playing on an
artificial turf Artificial turf is a surface of synthetic fibers made to look like natural grass, used in sports arenas, residential lawns and commercial applications that traditionally use grass. It is much more durable than grass and easily maintained wi ...
at Boavista, with news the next day reporting an
anterior cruciate ligament injury An anterior cruciate ligament injury occurs when the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is either stretched, partially torn, or completely torn. The most common injury is a complete tear. Symptoms include pain, an audible cracking sound during in ...
; he was sidelined until 11 February 2015, when he featured as a substitute in a 3–0 home defeat of
Vitória de Setúbal Vitoria or Vitória may refer to: People * Francisco de Vitoria (c. 1483–1546), a Spanish Renaissance theologian * Alberto Vitoria (1956–2010), Spanish footballer * Rui Vitória (born 1970), Portuguese retired footballer * Sofia Vitória (bor ...
in the semi-finals of the domestic league cup. On 14 August 2015, Amorim joined
Al-Wakrah Al Wakrah () is the capital city of the Al Wakrah Municipality in Qatar. Al Wakrah's eastern edge touches the shores of the Persian Gulf and Qatar's capital Doha is situated immediately north of the city. Governed by Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Jassi ...
in Qatar on a
season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's axial tilt, tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperat ...
-long deal. On 4 April 2017, after more than a year of inactivity due to a complete rupture of the cruciate ligament in his right knee , the 32-year-old terminated his contract with Benfica and retired.


International career

Amorim appeared for
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
at the
2007 UEFA European Under-21 Championship The UEFA European Under-21 Championship 2007 were held from 10 to 23 June 2007. It was the 16th staging of UEFA's UEFA European Under-21 Championship, European Under-21 Championship. Summary For the first time, a host nation was chosen ahead of th ...
in the
Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
, as the national side eventually lost to
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
for the final berth for the following year's
Summer Olympic Games The Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Summer Olympics or the Games of the Olympiad, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The 1896 Summer Olympics, inaugural Games took place in 1896 in Athens, ...
. On 10 May 2010, although not part of the senior squad's list of 23 for the
2010 FIFA World Cup The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national Association football, football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010. ...
, he was named in a backup list of six players. On 8 June, he replaced Nani after the
Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
player sustained a
clavicle The clavicle, collarbone, or keybone is a slender, S-shaped long bone approximately long that serves as a strut between the scapula, shoulder blade and the sternum (breastbone). There are two clavicles, one on each side of the body. The clavic ...
injury which ruled him out of the finals in South Africa. His senior debut came on the 15th, as he played the last five minutes of the group stage opener against
Ivory Coast Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire and officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital city of Yamoussoukro is located in the centre of the country, while its largest List of ci ...
(0–0) in the place of
Raul Meireles Raul José Trindade Meireles (; born 17 March 1983) is a Portuguese former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. After starting out at Boavista, he signed with Porto in 2004, going on to appear in 198 official games and win ten m ...
. Amorim was also selected by new manager
Paulo Bento Paulo Jorge Gomes Bento (; born 20 June 1969) is a Portuguese Association football, football Manager (association football), manager and former player. A Midfielder#Defensive midfielder, defensive midfielder with tackling ability and workrate ...
for the
2014 World Cup The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014, after the country was awarded the hosting ri ...
. He made his debut in the tournament on 26 June in the last group phase match against
Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...
, featuring the full 90 minutes in the 2–1 win but seeing his team eliminated on
goal difference Goal difference, goal differential or points difference is a form of tiebreaker used to rank sport teams which finish on equal points in a league competition. Either "goal difference" or "points difference" is used, depending on whether matches ar ...
.


Style of play

Amorim's style was similar to countryman Tiago, with both playing the same position, operating in
central midfield In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...
, both defensive and offensive, although he could also be deployed as a
right-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...
or winger.


Coaching career


Early career

Shortly after retiring, Amorim joined the
Lisbon Football Association The Lisbon Football Association (''Associação de Futebol de Lisboa''; AF Lisboa) is the district governing body for the all football competitions in the Portuguese district of Lisbon. It is also the regulator of the clubs registered in the di ...
in order to earn a coaching licence. Additionally, he attended a postgraduation course in psychomotor education and spent a week-long internship under Manchester United manager
José Mourinho José Mário dos Santos Mourinho Félix (; born 26 January 1963) is a Portuguese professional Association football, football Manager (association football), manager and former player, who is currently the head coach of Süper Lig club Fenerba ...
. Amorim started working as a manager in 2018–19, with third division team
Casa Pia The Casa Pia is a Portuguese institution founded by Maria I, known as ''A Pia'' ("Mary the Pious"), and organized by Police Intendant Pina Manique in 1780, following the social disarray of the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. For almost three centurie ...
. After losing his first two games and, with his pride hurt and doubts setting in, he announced if he lost the third game he would quit. In the next match, he changed his system and played a back three for the first time. With the new system working, Casa Pia embarked on an unbeaten run. He also felt he had found the formation that allowed him to produce the football he wanted. In January 2019, the team were deducted six points and he was suspended from all activity for one year after giving instructions during a match without having the required coaching level to do so; even though the bans were suspended shortly after, he presented his resignation in the aftermath. On 20 May 2019, Amorim initially agreed to return to Benfica as their under-23 coach. The following month, however, after a meeting at the club, he rejected that possibility.


Braga

In mid-September 2019, Amorim was appointed at Braga's reserves in the third tier, winning seven of his eight games, managing them. Three months later, he replaced the dismissed
Ricardo Sá Pinto Ricardo Manuel Andrade e Silva Sá Pinto (born 10 October 1972) is a Portuguese former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football), forward, currently a Manager (association football), manager. H ...
at the helm of the first team on a two-and-a-half-year contract, with the ''Minhotos'' being eighth place in the league at the time of his appointment. In his first game in charge on 4 January, he led them to a 7–1 away demolition of B SAD, and three weeks later won the domestic league cup final against
Porto Porto (), also known in English language, English as Oporto, is the List of cities in Portugal, second largest city in Portugal, after Lisbon. It is the capital of the Porto District and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto c ...
with a
last-minute goal The term "last-minute goal" is used in sport, primarily association football, to describe a goal scored very late in a game, usually one that affects the outcome of the game. The definition of a "last-minute goal" commonly used is one scored eith ...
from
Ricardo Horta Ricardo Jorge da Luz Horta (; born 15 September 1994) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a right winger for Primeira Liga club Braga and the Portugal national team. He spent most of his career with Braga after coming through ...
, Braga's first trophy in four years. In the
Primeira Liga The Primeira Liga (), also known as Liga Portugal Betclic for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Portugal and the highest level of the Portuguese football league system. Organised and supervised by the Liga ...
, on 15 February, Amorim recorded Braga's first win away to Benfica in 65 years, with
João Palhinha João Maria Lobo Alves Palhares Costa Palhinha Gonçalves (; born 9 July 1995) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Bundesliga club Bayern Munich and the Portugal national team. He came through at Spo ...
scoring the game's only goal. He lost his first point in the league, after Braga drew 2–2 at home to
Gil Vicente Gil Vicente (; c. 1465c. 1536), called the Trobadour, was a Portuguese playwright and poet who acted in and directed his own plays. Considered the chief dramatist of Portugal he is sometimes called the "Portuguese Plautus," often refe ...
. During this time, he picked up ten wins in 13 games, with Braga being placed third in the
league League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football * ''League of Legends'', a 2009 multiplayer online battle a ...
, he only lost two games for the club, in the
round of 16 A single-elimination knockout, or sudden-death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of a match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final match-up, w ...
of the
2019–20 UEFA Europa League The 2019–20 UEFA Europa League was the 49th season of Europe's secondary club association football, football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 11th season since it was renamed from the UEFA Cup to the UEFA Europa League. Sevilla FC, Sevill ...
against
Rangers A ranger is typically someone in a law enforcement or military/paramilitary role specializing in patrolling a given territory, called "ranging" or "scouting". The term most often refers to: * Park ranger or forest ranger, a person charged with prot ...
, 3–2 away in the first leg on 20 February, and 1–0 on the return leg at home, a week later.


Sporting CP


2019–20: Debut season

Amorim became
Sporting CP Sporting Clube de Portugal (), otherwise referred to as Sporting CP or simply Sporting (particularly within Portugal), or as Sporting Lisbon in other countries,
's manager on 4 March 2020 after the sacking of
Silas Silas or Silvanus (; Greek: Σίλας/Σιλουανός; fl. 1st century AD) was a leading member of the Early Christian community, who according to the New Testament accompanied Paul the Apostle on his second missionary journey. Name and ...
, signing a deal until 30 June 2023 with a
The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists of a stylized letter E (or epsilon), crossed by t ...
20 million
buyout clause A buyout clause or release clause refers to a clause in an employment contract. It allows the employee to terminate the contract unilaterally upon payment of a specified (usually substantial) fee to the employer. The fee may be paid by the employ ...
. Despite only having two years of top-flight experience, Sporting paid €10 million for his services, the third-highest transfer fee for a manager in history. In his first game in charge on 8 March, he led them to a 2–0 home win against Desportivo das Aves. In the rest of the games he took over, Amorim won six and drew three, but lost to Benfica in the
Lisbon derby The Derby de Lisboa or Dérbi de Lisboa (English: Lisbon derby) is the biggest List of association football club rivalries in Europe#Portugal, football derby match in Portugal. It is played between Lisbon-based clubs S.L. Benfica, Benfica and Spo ...
and
rivals A rivalry is the state of two people or Social group, groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each ...
Porto Porto (), also known in English language, English as Oporto, is the List of cities in Portugal, second largest city in Portugal, after Lisbon. It is the capital of the Porto District and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto c ...
at the end of the season, guiding Sporting to a fourth-place finish and qualification to the Europa League third qualifying round. Despite their league finish, Amorim managed to bring a recognisable identity that the club had previously been lacking, despite a toxic atmosphere that had grown around the club since May 2018, after a mob of about 50 club supporters brutally attacked players and staff on the premises of Sporting's training facility.


2020–21: Sporting's first league title in 19 years

In the summer transfer window,
Jérémy Mathieu Jérémy Mathieu (born 29 October 1983) is a French former professional Association football, footballer who played as a centre-back or a left-back. Mathieu made 172 Ligue 1 appearances across seven seasons, split equally between FC Sochaux-Mont ...
retired after suffering a knee injury in training, and was replaced by
Zouhair Feddal Zouhair Feddal Agharbi (; born 23 December 1989) is a Moroccan professional association football, footballer who plays for the Morocco national football team. Mainly a central defender, he can also appear as a left-back or defensive midfielder. ...
.
Rodrigo Battaglia Rodrigo Andrés Battaglia (; ; born 12 July 1991) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a defender for Argentine Primera División club Boca Juniors. Club career Battaglia was born and raised in Argentina and is of Italian des ...
, Miguel Luís,
Luciano Vietto Luciano Darío Vietto (; born 5 December 1993) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for Racing Club. Club career Early career Vietto was born in the small town of Balnearia in the Province of Córdoba. He joined hi ...
, Wendel and Marcos Acuña departed from the club. Experienced goalkeeper
Antonio Adán Antonio Adán Garrido (; born 13 May 1987) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper. A youth product of Real Madrid, where he acted mainly as a backup, he spent most of his career with Betis. He totalled 129 La Liga match ...
was brought in as the new first-choice goalkeeper, with other signings including Nuno Santos,
Bruno Tabata Bruno Vinícius Souza Ramos, known as Bruno Tabata (born 30 March 1997) is a Brazilian footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Internacional. Club career Early career Born in Ipatinga, Tabata began playing at local clubs Aciaria ...
, Pedro Porro, João Mário and
João Palhinha João Maria Lobo Alves Palhares Costa Palhinha Gonçalves (; born 9 July 1995) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Bundesliga club Bayern Munich and the Portugal national team. He came through at Spo ...
, the last returning from his loan at Braga. At the end of the transfer window, Sporting signed Pedro Gonçalves, who had impressed in the previous season at Famalicão. Along with the new signings, Amorim promoted Daniel Bragança,
Gonçalo Inácio Gonçalo Bernardo Inácio (; born 25 August 2001) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Primeira Liga club Sporting CP and the Portugal national team. Coming through Sporting CP's youth academy, he made his fir ...
,
Matheus Nunes Matheus Luiz Nunes (born 27 August 1998) is a professional Association football, footballer who plays as a midfielder or Defender (association football)#Full-back, right-back for club Manchester City F.C., Manchester City and the Portugal nat ...
, Nuno Mendes and Tiago Tomás to the first-team squad. On 23 January 2021, Amorim won his second consecutive league cup final, against his previous club; both he and Braga manager
Carlos Carvalhal Carlos Augusto Soares da Costa Faria Carvalhal (; born 4 December 1965) is a Portuguese former Association football, footballer who played as a Defender (association football)#Centre-back, centre-back, currently a Manager (association football), ...
were sent to the stands for arguing with each other. On 4 March, he renewed his contract for one more year, with an improved release clause of €30 million. Following a national record of a 32-match unbeaten-streak, including on 11 May, a 1–0 home win against Boavista, he guided the club to their first league title triumph in 19 years, with Pedro Gonçalves finishing as the top scorer of the league with 23 goals and six Sporting players being named in the Primeira Liga Team of the Year. Sporting only had one loss, during the season, being defeated by rivals Benfica 4–3 away in the Lisbon derby on 15 May. At the end of the season, Amorim was named Primeira Liga's Manager of the Month in April and the Primeira Liga's Manager of the Year.


2021–22: European improvement and title challenge

In his second summer transfer window, Amorim identified the defensive areas which required improvement for the squad, with his options being shorter than Sporting's domestic rivals, leading
Ricardo Esgaio Ricardo de Sousa Esgaio (; born 16 May 1993) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays for Sporting CP as a right-back. He made 243 Primeira Liga appearances with Sporting CP (two spells), Braga and on loan at Académica, winning ...
to return to the club, midfielder Manuel Ugarte and defender Rúben Vinagre also being signed. After remaining as a back-up to Antonio Adán,
Luís Maximiano Luís Manuel Arantes Maximiano (born 5 January 1999) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Segunda División club Almería. Formed at Sporting CP, where he made 35 first-team appearances, he went on to play in La ...
was sold to Spanish
La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...
side
Granada Granada ( ; ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada (Spain), Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence ...
, which in turn led to Sporting signing
João Virgínia João Manuel Neves Virgínia (born 10 October 1999) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper. Club career Born in Faro on the Algarve, Virgínia began his youth career at S.L. Benfica. In August 2015, he agreed a tr ...
. At the end of the transfer window, starting left-back Nuno Mendes was loaned to
Paris Saint-Germain Paris Saint-Germain Football Club, commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain () or simply PSG, is a French professional Association football, football club based in Paris. They compete in Ligue 1, the French football league system, top d ...
, with Pablo Sarabia moving in the other direction. Amorim began his second season at Sporting by winning the
Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira The Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira (; English: Cândido de Oliveira Super Cup, or simply Portuguese Super Cup) is an annual Portuguese association football, football match played since 1979 between the winners of the top-tier league (Primeira L ...
, on 31 July 2021, in the 2–1 defeat of his former club Braga. After losing their first two Champions League group games, Sporting won their next three matches, culminating on 24 November when they defeated
Borussia Dortmund Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, often known simply as Borussia Dortmund () or by its initialism BVB (), or just Dortmund by International fans, is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is ...
3–1 at home in the penultimate fixture to ensure the club's qualification to the
round of 16 A single-elimination knockout, or sudden-death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of a match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final match-up, w ...
, for the first time since the 2008–09 season. On 28 November, Amorim became the fastest manager to win 50 games in the
Primeira Liga The Primeira Liga (), also known as Liga Portugal Betclic for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Portugal and the highest level of the Portuguese football league system. Organised and supervised by the Liga ...
, following a 2–0 home win against
Tondela Tondela () is a concelho, municipality in the Centro, Portugal, central Portugal, Portuguese subregion of Dão-Lafões. The population in 2011 was 28,946, in an area of 371.22 km2. History Local writer and intellectual Amadeu Ferraz de Carv ...
. On 3 December, he led his squad to their first victory at the
Estádio da Luz The Estádio da Luz (), officially named Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica, is a multi-purpose stadium located in Lisbon, Portugal. It is used mostly for association football matches, hosting the home games of Portuguese club S.L. Benfica, Ben ...
in six years, following a 3–1 away defeat of rivals Benfica in the Lisbon derby. On 29 January 2022, Amorim won his third consecutive league cup final, in a 2–1 victory against Benfica. Sporting were eliminated in the last 16 of the Champions League by
Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...
, 5–0 on aggregate, knocked out of the Taça de Portugal in the semi-finals by Porto, and finished the league season on 85 points as the year before, but six points behind aforementioned rival.


2022–23: European and domestic disappointment

Sporting's success inevitably attracted richer clubs in Europe to their players, and the summer transfer window saw an exodus of key players:
João Palhinha João Maria Lobo Alves Palhares Costa Palhinha Gonçalves (; born 9 July 1995) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Bundesliga club Bayern Munich and the Portugal national team. He came through at Spo ...
and
Matheus Nunes Matheus Luiz Nunes (born 27 August 1998) is a professional Association football, footballer who plays as a midfielder or Defender (association football)#Full-back, right-back for club Manchester City F.C., Manchester City and the Portugal nat ...
to
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
sides
Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...
and
Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club ( ), commonly referred to as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league s ...
, respectively, and Nuno Mendes completing a permanent move to Paris Saint-Germain, after a one-year loan spell. However, Amorim successfully adapted his side, despite a difficult start to the new season, including a 3–3 away draw to Braga and two consecutive losses to Porto (3–0) and Chaves (2–0), with the side being placed 13th in the league table. Referring to the departures of both Nunes and Palhinha, claimed he "failed to plan ummer transfer windowand had to pay attention to now, in this end of the market, is to be sure where
porting In software engineering, porting is the process of adapting software for the purpose of achieving some form of execution in a computing environment that is different from the one that a given program (meant for such execution) was originally desig ...
are going, not to think that
porting In software engineering, porting is the process of adapting software for the purpose of achieving some form of execution in a computing environment that is different from the one that a given program (meant for such execution) was originally desig ...
have to save now everything that was changed in a one-year planning". Despite their league form, on 7 September, Sporting won in Germany for the first time in their history, beating
Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
champions
Eintracht Frankfurt Eintracht Frankfurt e.V. () is a German professional sports club based in Frankfurt, Hesse. It is best known for its football club, which was founded on 8 March 1899. The club currently plays in the Bundesliga, the top tier of the German footb ...
3–0 in their first group stage match of the
2022–23 UEFA Champions League The 2022–23 UEFA Champions League was the 68th season of Europe's premier club Association football, football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 31st season since it was renamed from the European Champion Clubs' Cup to the UEFA Champions ...
, followed by surprising victory at home over
Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Tottenham (, , , ) or Spurs, is a professional Association football, football club based in Tottenham, North London, England. The club itself has stated that it should always ...
in their next fixture. The following group stages matches, were marked by two individual errors from Antonio Adán and
Ricardo Esgaio Ricardo de Sousa Esgaio (; born 16 May 1993) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays for Sporting CP as a right-back. He made 243 Primeira Liga appearances with Sporting CP (two spells), Braga and on loan at Académica, winning ...
, which saw them lose twice to
Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...
4–1 and 2–0, respectively, with Esgaio coming through to a lot of scrutiny, from the club supporters, which led to Amorim defend him, saying: "He's not one of the fans' favorite players, but he's one of mine. As long as I am here, I will protect him as much as possible. He will never be abandoned by the manager and as long as I'm here there's nothing you can do to Esgaio". Both losses, were followed by a surprise elimination from the
third round Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', i.e., the third in a series of fractional parts in a sexagesimal number system Places * 3rd Street (di ...
of the
Taça de Portugal The Taça de Portugal (; ) is an annual association football competition and the premier knockout tournament in Portuguese football. For sponsorship reasons, it has been known as Taça de Portugal Generali Tranquilidade since the 2024–25 seaso ...
to Liga 3 side Varzim, after a narrow 1–0 loss. After losing 2–1 at home to Eintracht Frankfurt on 1 November, Sporting finished third in the
group stage A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...
, which put them in the
Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
knockout round play-offs. Despite a difficult league season, Amorim guided Sporting to their third and Amorim's fourth consecutive league cup final, where they lost 2–0 to Porto in
Leiria Leiria () is a city and municipality in the Central Region, Portugal, Central Region of Portugal. It is the 2nd largest city in that same region, after Coimbra, with a municipality population of 128,640 (as of 2021) in an area of . It is the seat o ...
, who won tournament for the first time. Shortly after, the club also featured the departure of Pedro Porro to Tottenham Hotspur on 31 January 2023, the deadline day of the winter transfer window. In the
Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
, Amorim led Sporting to the
quarter-finals A single-elimination knockout, or sudden-death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of a match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final match-up, w ...
, following a surprise victory over favourites
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
on penalties, after drawing 3–3 on aggregate in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. They were eliminated in the following round, after losing to
Juventus Juventus Football Club (; from , ), commonly known as Juventus or colloquially as Juve (), is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football clubs in Italy, club based in Turin, Piedmont, who compete in Serie A, the ...
2–1 on aggregate at home. Following a 2–2 home draw with Benfica in the Primeira Liga, despite leading 2–0 at half-time, Sporting missed out on Champions League qualification and qualified to the Europa League, after a 4th-place finish in the league. After failing to qualify for the Champions League, he admitted that he put his position at risk, despite having the trust of the club's President, who labelled him as 'one of the best coaches in the world', citing the poor planning of the season, especially the departure of Matheus Nunes to Wolverhampton Wanderers as one of the factors for the failure of the objectives.


2023–24: Second league title

During the summer transfer window of 2023, Sporting broke the club's transfer record by signing
Coventry City Coventry City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Coventry, West Midlands. The club plays in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club is nicknamed The Sky Blues after the sky blue colou ...
striker
Viktor Gyökeres Viktor Einar Gyökeres (; born 4 June 1998) is a Swedish professional association football, footballer who plays as a Striker (association football), striker for Primeira Liga club Sporting CP and the Sweden men's national football team, Sweden ...
for €20 million. On 12 August, Sporting opened their 2023–24 campaign with a 3–2 league victory at home to
Vizela Vizela () is a municipality in the Braga District in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 23,736, in an area of 24.70 km². The present mayor is Vitor Hugo Salgado, elected as an independent. The municipal holiday is March 19. History In Au ...
, with Sporting's record signing Gyökeres scoring a brace. Amorim's team lost the Lisbon derby against Benfica away by two late goals at
stoppage time Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the ga ...
on 12 November after Sporting's one-goal halftime lead from a Viktor Gyökeres goal, despite the visitors being reduced to 10 men for practically the whole of the second half. But on 18 December, Amorim's Sporting defeated Porto at the
Estádio José Alvalade The Estádio José Alvalade (; ') is a Football (soccer), football stadium in Lisbon, Portugal, home of Sporting Clube de Portugal. It was built adjacent to the site of the Estádio José Alvalade (1956), older stadium. The stadium is named afte ...
by 2–0, with goals from Gyökeres and Pedro Gonçalves, to end Sporting's eight-game straight winless run against Porto in the Primeira Liga. The win also resulted in Sporting overtaking their rivals Benfica at the top of the table. Amorim led Sporting to their biggest Primeira Liga margin of victory since 2018, following of an 8–0 thrashing of
Casa Pia The Casa Pia is a Portuguese institution founded by Maria I, known as ''A Pia'' ("Mary the Pious"), and organized by Police Intendant Pina Manique in 1780, following the social disarray of the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. For almost three centurie ...
, their second of the season, following a similar score against Dumiense at
Taça de Portugal The Taça de Portugal (; ) is an annual association football competition and the premier knockout tournament in Portuguese football. For sponsorship reasons, it has been known as Taça de Portugal Generali Tranquilidade since the 2024–25 seaso ...
, early in the season. Over the following months, Amorim was heavily linked to take over as the new manager of English
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
club
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
, following the departure of long-serving manager
Jürgen Klopp Jürgen Norbert Klopp (; born 16 June 1967) is a German football executive and former Manager (association football), manager and Football player, player. He is widely regarded as one of the best football managers in the world. Klopp has been ...
and when previous favourite
Xabi Alonso Xabier Alonso Olano (, ; born 25 November 1981) is a Spanish professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who is the head coach of La Liga club Real Madrid CF, Real Madrid. He is regarded as o ...
publicly announced he was staying at
Bayer Leverkusen Bayer 04 Leverkusen, officially known as Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH () and commonly known as Bayer Leverkusen or simply Leverkusen, is a German professional football club based in Leverkusen, North Rhine-Westphalia. It competes in the B ...
amid interest before the role ultimately went to then
Feyenoord Feyenoord Rotterdam () is a Netherlands, Dutch professional association football, football club based in Rotterdam, which plays in the Eredivisie, the top tier in Dutch football league system, Dutch football. Founded as Wilhelmina in 1908, the ...
coach
Arne Slot Arend Martijn "Arne" Slot (; born 17 September 1978) is a Dutch professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who is the head coach of club Liverpool F.C., Liverpool. He is regarded as one of t ...
. On 2 April 2024, Amorim led Sporting to the Taça de Portugal final by drawing 2–2 away at Benfica, resulting in a 4–3 aggregate win, and secured Sporting a stoppage time 2–1 home win in the league four days later, to increase their lead at the top of the table. Shortly after, Amorim went on a trip to London to negotiate with
West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Stratford, London, Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English f ...
to take over as their new manager for next season, with then manager
David Moyes David William Moyes (born 25 April 1963) is a Scottish professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Association football, player, who currently manages Premier League club Everton F.C., Everton. He was the 2003, 200 ...
being set to leave. However, Amorim refused the offer, and ahead of an important league match with Porto, he publicly apologised for the trip, deeming it a mistake and that the timing was wrong. The match against Porto on 29 April ended in a 2–2, with Sporting being two goals down at halftime and Viktor Gyökeres scoring goals in the 87th and 88th minutes. On 5 May, Sporting mathematically secured their 20th Primeira Liga title, and second title under Amorim, following Benfica's defeat to Famalicão. Afterwards, during the club's title celebration, Amorim confirmed he would continue as manager of Sporting for the next season. In the Taça de Portugal final, on 26 May, Sporting were defeated by Porto 2–1 in
extra-time Overtime (OT) or extra time (ET) is an additional period of play to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played only if the game is required t ...
.


2024–25: Final season in Lisbon

Amorim adopted a small change to his tactics for the new season, with his team being more dominant in possession and with a big emphasis on high pressing, compared to his pragmatic approach used in his previous seasons managing the club. The summer transfer window, saw the departure of
club captain The captain of a football/soccer team, sometimes known as the skipper, is a team member chosen to be the on-pitch leader of the team; they are often one of the older or more experienced members of the squad, or a player that can heavily influ ...
Sebastián Coates Sebastián Coates Nion (; born 7 October 1990) is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Uruguayan club Nacional. Having begun his career at Nacional, where he was a regular from his debut in 2009, Coates joined Li ...
, with Sporting signed ball playing centre-back Zeno Debast to replace him, Amorim also promoted Geovany Quenda to the first-team squad, playing him as a
right wing-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...
, despite being a natural
right winger In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...
and
Morten Hjulmand Morten Blom Due Hjulmand (; born 25 June 1999) is a Danish professional association football, footballer who plays as a Midfielder#Defensive midfielder, defensive midfielder for Primeira Liga club Sporting CP and the Denmark national football tea ...
was also promoted as the new club captain. Sporting also brought in
Conrad Harder Conrad Harder Weibel Schandorf (born 7 April 2005) is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a forward for Primeira Liga club Sporting CP and the Denmark national team. Club career KB Harder played for the under-14 team for KB. Nord ...
as a signing for the future to develop under Amorim and to serve as back-up striker for Viktor Gyökeres. In his first match of the new season, on 3 August, Sporting suffered a 4–3 loss to rivals Porto in the
2024 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira The 2024 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira was the 46th edition of the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira. It was played between the winners of the 2023–24 Primeira Liga, Sporting CP, and the winners of the 2023–24 Taça de Portugal, Porto, on 3 ...
, despite leading the game by three goals. The following months, he was mentioned as a possible successor to
Pep Guardiola Josep "Pep" Guardiola Sala (; born 18 January 1971) is a Catalans, Catalan professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player from Spain who has been the manager of club Manchester City F.C., Ma ...
at Manchester City, when Sporting's
director of football A sporting director, or director of sport, is an senior management, executive management position in a sports club. The role is well known as a manager role for European football clubs, which are sometime also "sports clubs", offering many typ ...
Hugo Viana replaced
Txiki Begiristain Aitor "Txiki" Begiristain Mujika (born 12 August 1964) is a Spanish former professional association football, footballer who played as a winger (association football), left winger or forward (association football), forward. He was best known f ...
as City's director of football. On 29 October, following the dismissal of Manchester United manager
Erik ten Hag Erik ten Hag ( ; born 2 February 1970) is a Dutch professional football manager and former player. He will become the head coach of Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen on 1 July 2025. Ten Hag played as a centre-back and began his career with Ere ...
, Sporting confirmed that the English club were set to trigger Amorim's €10 million release clause. After guiding Sporting to a 3–1 victory over
Nacional Nacional, the Portuguese and Spanish word for "national", may refer to: Airlines * Nacional Transportes Aéreos, a Brazilian airline defunct in 2002 * Transportes Aéreos Nacional, a Brazilian airline defunct in 1961 Bank * Banco Nacional, a ...
in the
quarter-finals A single-elimination knockout, or sudden-death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of a match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final match-up, w ...
of the
Taça da Liga The Taça da Liga (), known outside Portugal as Portuguese League Cup, is an annual club football competition organised by the Liga Portuguesa de Futebol Profissional (LPFP) for teams competing in the top two tiers of Portuguese football – the ...
, he addressed United's interest saying, "It's a negotiation between two clubs. It's never easy, even with the eleaseclauses. They have to talk. We will have clarification after the game
Estrela da Amadora Club Football Estrela Amadora SAD (), sometimes just Estrela da Amadora, is a Portuguese professional sports club (predominantly football) based in Amadora, northwest of Lisbon. The team is currently competing in the Primeira Liga, after winnin ...
], it will be clear. So it's one more day and after the game tomorrow, we will have a decision made". After the two clubs agreed on a fee for Amorim's departure, in his last home match for the club, on 5 November, he led Sporting to a 4–1 home win against Manchester City, marking the third time that a team managed by Pep Guardiola conceded four goals in a
UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
match. In the
2024–25 Primeira Liga The 2024–25 Liga Portugal (also known as Liga Portugal Betclic for sponsorship reasons) was the 91st season of the Primeira Liga, the top professional league for Portuguese association football clubs and the fourth season under the current Li ...
, Amorim's Sporting won their first ten matches to move three points clear at the top of the table, his side also led the league for most goals scored and least goals conceded. Amorim was named Primeira Liga Manager of the Month for three consecutive months in August, September and October. On 10 November, he managed his final match for Sporting, leading his team to a 4–2 victory against his former club Braga, after being two goals down at halftime. This win allowed Amorim to match the best league start in the club's history, with 11 consecutive victories. The achievement equalled the record set by
Marinho Peres Mário Peres Ulibarri (19 March 1947 – 18 September 2023), known as Marinho Peres, was a Brazilian association football, footballer who played as a centre-back, in particular with Sport Club Internacional and the Brazil national football team ...
during the 1990–91 season. Amorim was succeeded by João Pereira, whom he met in Benfica's youth teams and later managed in Sporting during the latter's final season as a player.


Manchester United

On 1 November 2024,
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
club Manchester United announced they had appointed Amorim as new head coach on a contract running until 2027, and that he would begin his tenure at the club on 11 November. Amorim's debut was a 1–1 away draw with
Ipswich Town Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. The club currently competes in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. Ipswich Town were founded in 1878 but did not turn ...
on 24 November. Four days later, he secured his first win as Manchester United head coach against Bodø/Glimt in the
UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
league stage League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football * ''League of Legends'', a 2009 multiplayer online battle a ...
. On 1 December, Amorim won his first game in the Premier League against Everton, beating them 4–0 at
Old Trafford Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and is the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,197, it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after W ...
. On 15 December, Amorim became the first Manchester United manager to win his first
Manchester derby The Manchester derby refers to association football, football matches between Manchester City F.C., Manchester City and Manchester United F.C., Manchester United, first contested in 1881. City play at the City of Manchester Stadium in Bradford, ...
since
Alex Ferguson Sir Alexander Chapman Ferguson (born 31 December 1941) is a Scottish former professional football manager and player, best known for managing Manchester United from 1986 to 2013. He is widely regarded as the greatest manager of all time and ...
in a 2–1 away win against
Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...
. On 19 January 2025, Amorim labelled his team as "probably the worst team in the history" of the club after their 3–1 defeat to
Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...
in the
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
. The defeat was the club's fourth in it's past five games at
Old Trafford Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and is the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,197, it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after W ...
. Towards the end of the season, United's league form collapsed, earning just four points from their final six matches, leaving them mathematically confirmed to finish in the bottom half of the Premier League table. Amorim's only remaining hope to salvage the season came in the
UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
, where on 21 May, he led United to the
final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
against
Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Tottenham (, , , ) or Spurs, is a professional Association football, football club based in Tottenham, North London, England. The club itself has stated that it should always ...
, where the winner would earn a place in the following season's
UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
, while the loser would be left without European football entirely. At the match, United were defeated 1–0, compounding a disappointing season that saw them lose to Tottenham Hotspur for the fourth time that season. With no trophies, no European qualification, and a string of heavy defeats, Amorim's first season ended in failure, being widely condemned by the media as one of the worst campaigns in Manchester United's history.


Manager profile


Tactics

Amorim is known for his communication skills and tactical knowledge. Exuding a positive outlook and a laid-back, conciliatory demeanor, Amorim has consistently emphasised that he refrains from engaging in discussions about referees with the media. Described as being "transparent and straightforward", he rarely gives interviews outside of his contracted duties and always credits his players for his achievements rather than talking up his own credentials. At Sporting CP, he built a collective spirit that made every player feel like a vital thread in the fabric of the club. Amorim's approach is rooted in a belief that a squad must function as more than a sum of its parts; it must breathe as one. He treats his players as people first, athletes second. At Sporting, his leadership style fostered a sense of camaraderie that went beyond the locker room; it extended into the lives of his players. Amorim considers
Jorge Jesus Jorge Fernando Pinheiro de Jesus (; born 24 July 1954) is a Portuguese professional Association football, football Manager (association football), manager and former player. Most recently he was the manager of Saudi Professional League, Saudi P ...
as his teacher, mentor, and one of his main influences. Amorim played under Jesus for close to a decade at Belenenses and Benfica. He also considers
José Mourinho José Mário dos Santos Mourinho Félix (; born 26 January 1963) is a Portuguese professional Association football, football Manager (association football), manager and former player, who is currently the head coach of Süper Lig club Fenerba ...
as one of his biggest mentors and has displayed an admiration for
Pep Guardiola Josep "Pep" Guardiola Sala (; born 18 January 1971) is a Catalans, Catalan professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player from Spain who has been the manager of club Manchester City F.C., Ma ...
. Amorim himself said, "There are coaches who have a way of watching the game that I like, like Guardiola, but for me, the role model is Mourinho, because I watch the ball in a way that's more similar to ourinho that is, he analyses the opponents very well and sets his team up, not just with a certain style of play but thinking a lot about how to adapt to win." During his tenure with Sporting CP beginning in March 2020, Amorim primarily played a 3–4–3, a system he adopted during his tenure at Casa Pia and Braga, with two midfielders, usually
João Palhinha João Maria Lobo Alves Palhares Costa Palhinha Gonçalves (; born 9 July 1995) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Bundesliga club Bayern Munich and the Portugal national team. He came through at Spo ...
and
Matheus Nunes Matheus Luiz Nunes (born 27 August 1998) is a professional Association football, footballer who plays as a midfielder or Defender (association football)#Full-back, right-back for club Manchester City F.C., Manchester City and the Portugal nat ...
, and later,
Morten Hjulmand Morten Blom Due Hjulmand (; born 25 June 1999) is a Danish professional association football, footballer who plays as a Midfielder#Defensive midfielder, defensive midfielder for Primeira Liga club Sporting CP and the Denmark national football tea ...
and Hidemasa Morita in the following seasons, being responsible for protecting the defense, and emphasise the attacking capabilities of the wing-backs, like Pedro Porro and Nuno Mendes at first, and later Geny Catamo. When defending in a low block, Sporting's players stay behind the line of the box in order to keep a compact shape, prevent any potential shots from the edge of the box, and limit attacking opportunities. Amorim's team utilises an intense pressing style and attempts to win the ball back in the final third. Amorim's team use interchanging movements to distract the opposing defenders and create space for the attackers to exploit. They focus on exploiting the wings and half-spaces (with players like Pedro Gonçalves playing inside with Pablo Sarabia and Nuno Santos sticking to the left side of the attack). The number 9, firstly
Paulinho Paulinho is a Portuguese nickname for people named ''Paulo'' (Paulo - inho, little Paulo). People known as Paulinho include: Music *Paulinho da Costa (born 1948), Brazilian percussionist *Paulinho da Viola (born 1942), Brazilian sambista *Paulinho ...
and then Gyökeres after the signing of the Swede in 2023, is the only player who tends to act in terms of pressing the ball and slowing the progression of the opposition, looking to create a space in the defensive line of the opposition that can be quickly attacked, in order to allow the man in possession initially to look for a vertical passing option. Amorim has also a 3–4–3 diamond formation with three mobile defenders; plus one more covering space – becoming, in effect, a defensive midfielder, two "controlling" midfielders with responsibilities to feed the attack-minded players, one second striker, two touchline-hugging wingers and one versatile centre forward.


Reception

Amorim is often credited with rejuvenating Sporting CP by promoting young talents, instilling a winning mentality, and developing a versatile and cohesive style of play. José Mourinho insisted that "Amorim would never change his approach regardless of the opposition and his tactics provide depth for the wingers and the striker", leading to describe Amorim's style as "always intense". Former Estoril head coach stated that Amorim's teams reflect his work ethic, with "he is always trying to improve his players ..works with young talent but also with experienced players as well and what they all have in common is that they fight ..I think he wins a lot with his communication, his message is clear and it is easy to understand. The players connect with him easily. Even on the outside, for the reporters and the public, it is really simple and really concrete". In April 2023, Manchester United player and fellow compratriot Bruno Fernandes praised Amorim's management style, believing that his skill set is adaptable to leagues outside of Portugal and had all the qualities "to be able to succeed in English, French, or Spanish football". Amorim was described by
Guillem Balagué Guillem Ramón Antonio Balagué (born 2 November 1968) is a Spanish football journalist, author, and pundit. He was a regular pundit on Sky Sports' show ''Revista de la Liga'' and has also written for some of Britain's newspapers as well as seve ...
of ''
BBC Sport BBC Sport is the sports division of the BBC, providing national sports coverage for BBC BBC Television, television, BBC Radio, radio and BBC Online, online. The BBC holds the television and radio UK broadcasting rights to several sports, broadc ...
'' as a coach who's "still adding layers of knowledge to his methods but he still believes football only makes sense if those watching are thrilled by it".


Personal life

Amorim's parents divorced when he was a year old. Amorim's cousins,
David Simão David Martins Simão (born 15 May 1990) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Primeira Liga club Arouca. Club career Born in Versailles, Yvelines, France, Simão played most of his youth career at S.L. Benfic ...
and
Bruno Simão Bruno Martins Simão (born 5 May 1985) is a Portuguese former professional footballer who played as a left-back. He spent most of his career abroad, making 49 appearances with three clubs in Romania's Liga I and also winning cups in Azerbaijan ...
, are also professional footballers. He is godfather to Bruno Simão's eldest daughter. Amorim has two children. He is married to Maria João Diogo and they have one son together. Their wedding took place at the Palácio e Mosteiro de São Marcos (Saint Mark Palace and Monastery) in
Coimbra Coimbra (, also , , or ), officially the City of Coimbra (), is a city and a concelho, municipality in Portugal. The population of the municipality at the 2021 census was 140,796, in an area of . The fourth-largest agglomerated urban area in Po ...
. Maria João Diogo has an academic degree in
telecommunications engineering Telecommunications engineering is a subfield of electronics engineering which seeks to design and devise systems of communication at a distance. The work ranges from basic circuit design to strategic mass developments. A telecommunication eng ...
and has built her own business in
interior design Interior design is the art and science of enhancing the interior of a building to achieve a healthier and more aesthetically pleasing environment for the people using the space. With a keen eye for detail and a Creativity, creative flair, an ...
. She is sister-in-law of Antero Henrique, former sporting director of
Paris Saint-Germain Paris Saint-Germain Football Club, commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain () or simply PSG, is a French professional Association football, football club based in Paris. They compete in Ligue 1, the French football league system, top d ...
and responsible for the most expensive transfer ever, the transfer of footballer
Neymar Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior (; born 5 February 1992), also known as Neymar Júnior or simply Neymar, is a Brazilian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a left winger, attacking midfielder or Forward (association foo ...
to the French football club for €222 million in 2017. Another sister of Maria João Diogo's, Inês, is married to a former Braga, Sporting CP and Benfica footballer, Luís Filipe.


Career statistics


Club


International


Managerial statistics


Honours


Player

Benfica *
Primeira Liga The Primeira Liga (), also known as Liga Portugal Betclic for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Portugal and the highest level of the Portuguese football league system. Organised and supervised by the Liga ...
: 2009–10, 2013–14, 2014–15 *
Taça de Portugal The Taça de Portugal (; ) is an annual association football competition and the premier knockout tournament in Portuguese football. For sponsorship reasons, it has been known as Taça de Portugal Generali Tranquilidade since the 2024–25 seaso ...
: 2013–14 *
Taça da Liga The Taça da Liga (), known outside Portugal as Portuguese League Cup, is an annual club football competition organised by the Liga Portuguesa de Futebol Profissional (LPFP) for teams competing in the top two tiers of Portuguese football – the ...
: 2008–09, 2009–10,
2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
, 2013–14, 2014–15 *
Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira The Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira (; English: Cândido de Oliveira Super Cup, or simply Portuguese Super Cup) is an annual Portuguese association football, football match played since 1979 between the winners of the top-tier league (Primeira L ...
:
2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...
*
UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
runner-up: 2013–14 Braga *Taça da Liga:
2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...


Manager

Braga *Taça da Liga: 2019–20 Sporting CP *Primeira Liga:
2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...
, 2023–24 *Taça da Liga:
2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...
, 2021–22 *Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira:
2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...
Manchester United *
UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
runner-up: 2024–25 Individual *Primeira Liga's Manager of the Month: February 2021, April 2021, October/November 2021, September 2023, December 2023, January 2024, March 2024, August 2024 September/October 2024 * Primeira Liga's Manager of the Season:
2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...
,
2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...


References


External links


Profile
at the Sporting CP website * * * * The Ruben Amorim Way Poem {{DEFAULTSORT:Amorim, Ruben 1985 births Living people Footballers from Lisbon Portuguese men's footballers Men's association football midfielders Men's association football utility players Primeira Liga players Liga Portugal 2 players C.F. Os Belenenses players S.L. Benfica footballers S.C. Braga players S.L. Benfica B players Qatar Stars League players Al-Wakrah SC players Portugal men's youth international footballers Portugal men's under-21 international footballers Portugal men's B international footballers Portugal men's international footballers 2010 FIFA World Cup players 2014 FIFA World Cup players Portuguese expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Qatar Portuguese expatriate sportspeople in Qatar Portuguese football managers Primeira Liga managers Premier League managers Casa Pia A.C. managers S.C. Braga managers Sporting CP managers Manchester United F.C. managers Portuguese expatriate football managers Expatriate football managers in England Portuguese expatriate sportspeople in England 21st-century Portuguese sportsmen S.C. Braga B managers