During Erasmus, the Portuguese man became one of Poland’s best coaches.

Gonçalo Feio is a Portuguese man better known in Poland than in his own country. He left Lisbon in 2012 to do a six-month Erasmus exchange and never returned. Or rather, he did return, but only for holidays or to visit people he cares about.

However, he has become a media figure in Poland, due to his success as a coach – he was the first to win in England with a Polish team – but also because of the passion he conveys: passion for the players and for the game.

He was a student of José Mourinho at the Faculty of Human Movement, was inspired by the current Benfica coach, considers himself a methodologist, but says that the most important thing is knowing how to care for people. Come and get to know him better.

Starting from the beginning, where does Gonçalo Feio come from?

I come from Alcântara, in Lisbon. I grew up on Rua da Aliança Operária, at the end of the Alcântara parish, near Ajuda. My mother worked in a bank, my father worked with iron and wood in a factory. In his later years, before retirement, they also managed a café in Alcântara. My primary school was right under the 25th of April Bridge, later I studied at the Rainha Dona Amélia School and, well, I was always around there.

And how did football enter your life?

It came naturally, at school, on the street. From a very young age I went to Tapadinha, I went to Restelo. Later I also went to Luz, which was a little further away.

Was he going to Luz alone?

No, no, I was going with a friend, David Ramos, who was my neighbor. We went everywhere together.

But then this passion has nothing to do with family heritage?

Nothing, absolutely nothing. My family has zero connection to sports.

Was it really through his friends that he got into football?

Yes, it was because of my friends and what football gave me. Team sports teach you discipline and collective fundamentals. Ultimately, they’re very much about common principles: representing a team and thinking as a community. And that has always stayed with me.

There’s an inherent discipline in team sports, is that right?

Without a doubt. It has to do with the daily life of a child or young person who goes to school, studies, then goes to training – and the older you are, the later the training starts. Therefore, team sports force you to develop social skills and have very strong discipline. All these things have always fascinated me.

Did he ever play football?

Nothing special. I started playing for Atlético, there in Tapadinha. Then I played for Belenenses. Next to the Restelo Stadium there was a field, which we called Maracanã, that was a dirt field. I still remember my first training session there. It was raining, we trained in white shorts and a blue shirt, and I arrived home covered in brown. My grandmother was about 90 years old and she didn’t like it at all… it was so dirty you couldn’t even wash it anymore. I also played for Benfica. I played until I was about 16. But, as a good talent scout, I quickly understood that I wasn’t going to go far playing football.

But he was passionate about the game…

That’s why my passion for studying football emerged. Especially since my youth coincided with the birth of the Mourinho phenomenon, which had a huge influence on my generation of coaches. I think the dream of becoming a coach appeared very early because of that.

The inspiration of Professor José Mourinho and the importance of caring for people.

When you go to the Faculty of Human Movement, do you already have the idea of ​​becoming a coach?

Yes, but it’s not an idea I would share or make public. I’ve always kept my things very private, very closed off, even though I’m a team player. But I was clear that that was the goal.

Did you choose sports to become a coach, or could it have been something else related to sports?

That was the path I took to get my degree. FMH, being from Lisbon and again influenced by Mourinho, was the natural way for me to train as a training methodologist.

And what was it like being a student of José Mourinho?

He would come a few times, give us short lectures in the FMH auditorium, and of course, he was someone who seemed out of this world. The best coach in the world. I think the great inspiration – besides all those publications that came out later, by Vítor Frade, José Mourinho, tactical periodization and that scientific aspect – was that speech he gave us about ‘knowing a lot about football isn’t enough to be a good football coach’.

I remember once, during one of those lectures at FMH, him replying to a student something like: ‘Hey man, if your concern is learning tactics, buy a book’.

Exactly. In other words, there’s a holistic approach associated with preparing for the coaching profession, in terms of leadership, psychology, team management, physiological knowledge management, tactical knowledge management… For my generation, José Mourinho was a great inspiration, because of this combination of scientific and human aspects. I strongly believe that the game model must be linked to the work model, the work model must be linked to the communication model, the communication model is linked to the leadership model, and the leadership model has a direct influence on the game model. Now it seems that all this makes sense and is very clear, but this causality of a leadership model influencing a particular game model is where it all began.

As Professor Manuel Sérgio used to say, those who only know about football know nothing about football.

There’s something I do a lot, whether on the field or here in my office, which is to call two or three players a day for a more direct conversation. Sometimes it’s not even about football, it’s about family, about life. And there’s something I tell them often: we coaches think that the number one thing in our job is to prepare a good training session or give a good tactical talk. And obviously the methodological aspect is extremely important, because that’s what the team will show on the field. But it’s not the number one thing.

And what is point number one?

Taking care of people. I strongly believe that there’s one thing before everything else, which is taking care of people. Football on the field is a team game, but off the field it’s an individual sport. Physical preparation isn’t the same for all players, mental preparation isn’t the same for all players, there are a number of things that are different from player to player. That’s why it’s necessary to take care of people, because no two people are alike, no two people have the same background, no two people have the same problems, no two people think the same way. It’s necessary to be there for people when they need it most. Whether they play or not, the support must be equal for everyone and the treatment must be equal for everyone. Always be honest with the players. I always prefer to tell a hard truth than a sweet lie. I don’t believe in sweet lies.

Could it be said that a coach, in your opinion, needs to have a bit of Professor Vítor Frade and a bit of Professor Manuel Sérgio in them?

I understand the question. Being a coach for me is, first and foremost, a great responsibility. And, there you have it, Professor Manuel Sérgio’s role is to take care of people – and I’m not just talking about the players, I’m talking about everyone at the club – to inspire people, to make them evolve every day. And then, yes, there’s the tactical aspect of training. There, a coach usually has the support of his technical team, although I’m the type of coach who’s a methodological leader, because I like to prepare the training, I like to be involved in the tactical preparation, I’m not just a manager, so to speak.

Poland, Germany, Ukraine… and the desire to do Erasmus.

Going back to her story, she was at FMH (Faculty of Human Kinetics) and one day decided to do Erasmus.

Yes, it was a semester where I only had to finish Statistics and Psychology. It was a time in my life when I wasn’t tied to anything, I could travel, go out, watch different football. I had thought about Poland, Ukraine, Germany, something like that to broaden my horizons.

She had no idea how this would change her life…

That’s true. I ended up coming to Poland and ended up playing football in Poland, at the biggest club in Poland, simply because I went there and asked to.

This story is also funny because he was just passing by the door and went inside, right?

It didn’t go well. I went to Legia’s door and asked for a moment with the academy director. I introduced myself, showed him a letter of recommendation from Benfica’s youth academy and told him: I don’t want money, I don’t want work and I don’t want to bother you, I just want, since I’ll be here, to watch the training sessions, spend my days at the club and understand your way of working.

What was the answer?

They opened doors for me, and it was the beginning of a journey I never imagined would be like this.

And did he spend his days at the Legia facilities?

In the mornings, to earn some money, I gave Portuguese lessons. In the afternoons, yes, I went to Legia and spent all my time there, watching training sessions and talking to the few who spoke English at the time. After two or three months, the academy director came to talk to me and said: we want you to stay, we want to give you a contract and you can take charge of the under-10s.

What was your reaction?

‘These guys are crazy, I don’t want to stay here.’ Especially since there’s hardly any snow now, but 13 years ago there was snow up to my knees. Anyway, I said I’d only stay until the end of the season and I accepted. I took over the under-10s and it went well; getting out of your comfort zone makes you grow. At the end of that season, when I thought it was time to go home, the academy director told me they were very happy with me and wanted me to sign another contract to coordinate the under-11s and at the same time work with the under-15s. In other words, I was going to work in a group where there were already Polish internationals. I had doubts, but I decided to stay.

When you signed this new contract, did you already have the idea of ​​staying in Poland?

Yes, things were different then. In fact, in the first year and seven months I signed three contracts. However, halfway through the third season, during the winter break, Legia changed coaches and Henning Berg came in, who as a player had been a European champion with Alex Ferguson. He had already coached Blackburn and, when he arrived, he felt he needed more support from the game analysis and tactical preparation department. That’s when the club told him about me. There was a meeting and he asked me for an analysis of a Borussia Dortmund game, under Klopp. Obviously, my question was: but how are we going to play? Because I think that when you analyze an opponent, it has to be within an idea of ​​what you want for your team. We talked for about two or three hours, he explained his vision to me and from then on I had three days. Those were three days in which I gave my all, because I wanted to take that step. I presented the report, he was happy and I got a first-team contract as an analyst.  

Is that where his journey in professional football began?

Yes. The season ended, he had a conversation with me and told me that he would stay to coordinate the analysis department, but that he needed me more on the field. At 24 or 25 years old, I became assistant coach of the biggest club in Poland. It was another very good year and a half, until, like everything in life, this stage ended.

But was there a particular reason for it to end?

It was simple, Henning Berg was fired mid-season and, after five years at Legia, for six months no club wanted me. There was interest, I had conversations, but nothing materialized and not having a job made me return to Portugal. I took the opportunity to give many lectures as a coach’s educator.

Did he/she finish his/her degree?

No, it’s on hold. I haven’t been back to Portugal long enough to finish it. It’s one of the stumbling blocks I have here. I still want to finish it. Obviously, I already have all the UEFA and UEFA Pro certifications, everything’s done, but that academic part is important to me.

Especially since he only stayed in Portugal for six months during that period, right?

Yes, I spent half a year in Portugal and another historic Polish club, Wisla Krakow, called me to coordinate the academy levels and work with the under-18s. I went, things were going well, and after four months the sporting director told me I had to go to the first team.

Why?

The same story again, a Spanish coach, Kiko Ramirez, came in, and I joined as his assistant and also did the translation, because he only spoke Spanish.

 

The decision to become head coach and the beginning… in the third division.

When does the change to head coach occur?

I was with Kiko Ramirez at Wisla, then we went to Greece, and mid-season I returned to Poland alone to be Rakow’s assistant. In two and a half years we won two Polish Cups and achieved two second places. Then I felt I was ready and left to start a career as a head coach.

And it went to the third division…

I had a few offers, but the project that appealed to me the most was in the third tier, yes, at a club that was last after eleven games. Many people told me I was crazy, but I had visited the club, learned about the owner’s ideas, and realized it was a historic club with a large fan base and where everything was yet to be built.

Did it have room to grow and help him grow?

Yes, because I was going to have great working conditions, but in terms of protocols, structures, and professionalism, everything was yet to be done. In other words, I would be able to participate in the vision and growth strategy of the club.

He took over the club when it was in last place and got it promoted twice, didn’t he?

Before that, in a conversation with the owner, he told me that Motor was three years away from turning 75 and that he wanted the club to be promoted to the Liga at that time. They had three years to climb two divisions. He told me he already knew that year was lost, but that he was counting on me for the future. Then I told him to calm down, that only eleven matchdays had passed. Later he confessed to me that when I told him this, he thought I was crazy.

But what is certain is that he succeeded.

In my first season, I took over the team when they were in last place and we ended up getting promoted, not directly, but through the playoffs, playing the semi-final and final away from home. We were promoted to the Second Division and there, with much better structures, I left seven games before the end with the team in a promotion position. My entire coaching staff stayed and finished the job.

 

A return to Legia and a historic victory at Stamford Bridge.

He left to return to the place where it all began: Legia.

It was a return to my first home, to the club that opened the doors of Poland for me. It was a reunion with many people who knew me from when I was the under-10 coach, when I didn’t even speak Polish. It’s not just another club, it’s a club that means a lot to me.

But wasn’t he looked down upon, as if he were still the kid who coached the under-10s?

No, on the contrary. Let me tell you something: at Legia, every Tuesday the club held a lunch for the non-sports staff, and there was always a guest speaker to give a short mind talk. When I was invited, I showed them a screen with messages that many of them had sent me: for example, Arthur from maintenance, Mrs. Maria from accounting, Mrs. Kinga from cleaning, and Michal from the IT department. These were messages that I kept and reread to find strength and motivation.

Then he achieved a historic feat: he qualified for the Conference League and became the last Portuguese player to win at Stamford Bridge.

And we were the first Polish team to win in England.

How was this achievement received in Poland?

Even today, the feelings are a little bittersweet. Obviously, Chelsea was the shark of the Conference League. In fact, a month or two after that game at Stamford Bridge, they became world champions, so they were a stratospheric team for that competition. Chelsea, Betis, and Fiorentina were the other teams in the Conference League.

Of those three sharks, Legia beat two: Chelsea and Betis.

Yes. That night at Stamford Bridge brought to a close a long European campaign, which began with six qualifying matches. In the league phase, after four rounds we were in the top eight, because we had 12 points and hadn’t conceded a single goal. So that night concluded a campaign that left the fans very proud. We fell to a better team than us, without a doubt, but on the other hand, falling in the quarter-finals of a European competition leaves that feeling that it wasn’t impossible. They are bittersweet feelings, there you go.

 

The gesture that made him go viral and that was a mistake.

And it is during this walk that Gonçalo goes viral in Portugal, because of that reaction in which he makes some nasty gestures towards the opposing fans.

Viral? I don’t know. I’m definitely viral here in Poland, because there are many people who love me for my passion, my dedication, my love for the game, my teams, and my players.

Perhaps “viral” is an exaggeration.

It was back in the summer, in the tie against Brondby, and it was a mistake. A mistake that certainly won’t happen again. It was a crazy tie, with a lot of provocations between coaching staff, a lot of tension on the pitch, a lot of tension in the stands. After winning that sporting battle, I had that emotional reaction, which was a mistake.

Was it a reaction in the heat of the moment?

Yes, clearly. It should never have happened. I was fined, I accepted the fine, and I think it was obviously very fair. It was an experience that showed me that, in terms of my development, in that area of ​​emotional maturity, there was work I had to do. Work that I did and continue to do. It was a learning experience, with some pain, because I made a mistake that cost me a lot, but still a learning experience.

Did someone close to you in Portugal give you a talking-to at that time?

The closest people I have in Portugal are my parents, who are already retired, at a very beautiful age, and who suffered from afar. Obviously, they were worried about what they saw. And part of all this was me saying to myself: ‘Man, I can’t do this, I really can’t do this.’ They were people who gave me a fantastic foundation, who gave me everything, and I want them to feel proud of my achievements, but above all of the person I am.

Because he resigned from Dunkerke after… fifteen days.

At the start of this season he went to France and resigned after two weeks. Why?

Because what was said and the reality I found were very different things. It was an environment where I wasn’t happy; the level of ambition, organization, and sporting level didn’t match what we had discussed, and mind you, I rejected other offers, including from Portugal, to go to France. From there, I had a very honest conversation. There was still a long way to go before the season started, meaning the club had time to find a coach and six weeks to prepare for the season. I had a very honest conversation with the sporting director, explained things to him, and without problems, without money, without anything, I left, foregoing the biggest contract in Dunkerke’s history, because my contract was effectively the biggest in the club’s history.

Still, it wasn’t a departure without some controversy.

Yes, many stories later emerged that are not true. I imagine the institution had to make excuses. But I challenge the journalists: find one player, just one, who worked with me and who says that I mistreated him, that we didn’t have a good relationship, or even that he didn’t learn from me. That’s a challenge I leave you with.

From what I understand, if Gonçalo isn’t happy, he feels it’s not worth it?

No, no. Not at all. In football we experience good times and bad times. At the club I’m currently at, we’re going through a very delicate situation [ editor’s note: midfielder Ibrahima Camara, former Moreirense and Boavista player, is detained on rape charges ]. And so, as a leader, I’m the first to step forward. I’m the first to inspire people. I’m the first to defend the club, to defend the group, to defend my players.

Wasn’t it the difficulties or obstacles that made him leave?

No, they weren’t. I’ve already proven that stepping outside my comfort zone is something I do with pleasure and facing obstacles is something I do with complete dedication. Now, at the beginning of a collaboration, when things that were said are different from reality, when the levels of ambition differ greatly, when the work ethic isn’t the same, I don’t think it makes much sense to continue down that path, because it wouldn’t be a common path.

And he said he rejected offers, including from Portugal? From the Primeira Liga?

Yes, also. But above all, there was a club in the Second Division that showed a lot of interest in me, a lot of belief in me. It was undoubtedly the club that showed the most interest and it was a great project. It was a very difficult decision for me.

So why didn’t he accept?

I had just won a title, the Polish Cup, I had just played in the quarter-finals of a European competition, I had won at Stamford Bridge, so for me, taking that step into the context of the Portuguese Second Division, or even into the contexts that came my way in the First Division, was not the right step to take.

Based on what he has already achieved in Poland, don’t you think he perhaps deserves a bigger club in Portugal, a club that at least competes in European competitions?

Yes, but that moment will come. With hard work, dedication, a very strong work ethic, continuing to develop teams, helping players evolve, and assisting clubs to reach higher levels, I think it will happen. I understand that I haven’t yet reached a club like that in Portugal because my career has been abroad. Even with the European campaigns we’ve had, the Polish League has little visibility in Portugal. But, there you have it, it’s the same thing again: focus on working with the players and my coaching staff to be better every day. I’m sure Portugal will come. It’s not something I’m obsessed with because I know I’ll naturally coach in Portugal.

Southampton, Rangers, and the British football dream.

In recent months, there have been other options, namely Southampton and Rangers, right?

Yes, the truth is that it was a very emotional few summer months.

Why?

For now, I left a project that was very important to me. It’s true that I left it with a renewal offer, but I wanted to change certain things at the club so we could fight for the national title, and that wasn’t possible. From there, I ended up leaving a project that was important to me and leaving a team with which I had a very strong bond. Then, because there was this dream of making a leap to the European level. I had more than one meeting in England, I had offers from Poland, I had conversations with people from various countries, so it was a very intense few months that could have immediately changed the course of my career.

It was a period of many decisions.

Without a doubt. But above all, decisions that lead to consequences. I want to work in football. I’m not in football to use it for my own benefit or just to make money. No, I love what I do and I’m obsessed with the game.

It was half a year without training, apart from that brief experience at Dunkerke. Were those months very tough?

I wake up every day at 4:30, I’m at the club at 5:00 and I only leave at 9:00 at night. Those are days when the phone doesn’t stop ringing, when everyone needs me to solve something. Suddenly I went to a reality where there were days when the phone didn’t even ring. What did I do? I focused on one thing: I may not have a club, but I have plenty of work. So I watched games, studied teams and analyzed players. I would go to Portugal and in one weekend I could watch eight games and analyze all the players.

In the videos we’ve seen, it seems like Gonçalo Feio conveys a lot of passion in his talks to the players. Do you feel that way too?

Look, I’m going to tell a story, may my grandmother forgive me up there, but I have to tell this story. When I was in the third grade, there was a soccer tournament and we made it to the final, even though we were in the third grade. The fourth-grade classes usually made it to the final because they were bigger. But anyway, we were playing the final and there were some decisions by the referee, who was the class director of the other team, that we didn’t like. So I said, ‘This can’t be like this. Guys, let’s go home.’ And we left. We left the final, went to our classroom, and I said again, ‘Guys, this can’t be like this, let’s write some papers saying it’s us or him.’ And so we did, we stuck some papers together and stuff, which caused a lot of confusion, my mother was called to the school, and so on. But the interesting thing about this story is that, very naturally, I’ve always had to empathize a lot, listen, and support, which ended up giving me a great influence on my surroundings. Perhaps it’s part of the talent of being a coach, and something I feel very comfortable with.