The bond between Liga Portugal's Sporting CP keeps growing. After handing the English team two captains (Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes), Sporting have now agreed to let their manager Ruben Amorim take over the teetering Premier League side.
At 39, the former international teammate of Cristiano Ronaldo, is already a legend at Lisbon thanks to his immediate effect at Estádio José Alvalade after taking over in 2020. When Jurgen Klopp decided to bid farewell to Liverpool, Amorim was rumoured to be his replacement before Arne Slott was appointed. Amorim had maintained he remained fully committed to Sporting and didn't intend to go to England. However, the story has changed after Erik Ten Hag was sacked by Manchester United. According to reports, the Red Devils are set to pay €10m exit clause for Ruben Amorim to become new manager at Old Trafford. Sporting confirm also confirmed to having received formal communication from the English club.
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Here are five things to know about Ruben Amorim, the first MUFC manager in the INEOS era.
1. Ruben Amorim is currently in charge of Liga Portugal side Sporting CP. He was roped in as the manager of the Lisbon-based side on March 4, 2020. At the time of the hiring, Amorim had only the experience of slightly over two months in charge of a top-flight club. Sporting reportedly paid €10 million for his services, the third-highest transfer fee for a manager in history!
2. His limited top-tier experience ahead of the Sporting assignment was with SC Braga, another esteemed top-tier club in Portugal. After being signed to manage the reserve team in 2019 September, he was asked to take over the senior team for the remainder of the season starting in December. With Amorim in charge, Braga won the Taca da Liga -- the domestic league cup -- and registered its first away win against Benfica in 65 years. His tenure with the 'Os Arcebispos' lasted 72 days before making a switch to Lisbon.
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3. After finishing fourth in the debut season, Ruben Amorim managed to bring the league trophy home -- Sporting CP's first Liga title in 19 years. The team tasted defeat just once throughout the campaign and six of its stars made it to the Primeira Liga Team of the Year! Ace ballers Nuno Santos, Pedro Porro, Joao Mario and Joao Palhinha, Matheus Nunes and Nuno Mendes were among the stars that Sporting CP either bought or promoted from the academy during his tenure.
4. The highlight of his second season was Sporting making it to the UEFA Champions League round of sixteen for the first time since the 2008–09 season and winning a third consecutive league cup final (the first one was with Braga). He is the fastest manager to win 50 games in the Primeira Liga.
5. During his playing days, Ruben Amorim was predominantly a midfielder who could also take up responsibilities on the wings or down the right. The Belenenses and Benfica player represented Portugal in the 2010 and 2014 editions of the FIFA World Cup and received time on the field during either edition. In August 2015, Benfica sent Amorim on a season-long loan to Al-Wakrah in Qatar. In April 2017, he terminated his contract with Benfica and announced retirement at the age of 32.