Hugo Viana: Former Newcastle midfielder able to amplify affect as new Manchester Metropolis director of soccer

As a footballer, Hugo Miguel Ferreira Viana would let his ft do the speaking.

A shy member of the Sporting Clube de Portugal aspect that gained the Portuguese league and cup double in 2002 alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, he grew to become Britain’s most costly teenager when he joined Newcastle for £8.5m.

It eclipsed the £6m payment Coventry paid for Robbie Keane in August 1999, and it additionally set a brand new report for a Magpies teenager, surpassing the £5m paid to Nottingham Forest for Jermaine Jenas, then an England U21 worldwide.

Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd declared his delight at signing ‘the most effective younger participant on the planet’ on a five-year contract.

It wasn’t a fantastic declare.

Viana – who will exchange Txiki Begiristain as director of soccer at Manchester Metropolis on the finish of the season – was named Younger European Footballer of the 12 months, inspiring Portugal to victory over England Below-21s on the European Championships and he then joined his nationwide group within the Far East for the primary of two World Cups.

Viana was tipped to spearhead Newcastle’s Champions League bid for the approaching season beneath Sir Bobby Robson, however he would make solely 39 Premier League appearances in whole, scoring two league targets and offering six assists in his 4 years on the membership.

Viana’s largest contribution in a black and white shirt got here when he scored in one in every of Newcastle’s most memorable European video games, a victory over Feyenoord which secured the group’s progress from the primary group stage regardless of dropping their opening three matches.

Whereas he did not fulfil his potential in England, the Portuguese’s time working with Robson did not go to waste. Even on the age of 19, he turned down provides from Celta Vigo and Liverpool in choice of working with a person of Robson’s stature within the recreation.

“Liverpool are obviously a huge club, and I was very confused and unsure about what I wanted to do, but then I spoke to Bobby Robson and after five or 10 minutes, I was clear about Newcastle,” the participant recalled.

“I told him there would not be a big issue with my contract. Mr Robson said he knew me; he’d watched some games at Sporting and in the U21 European Championships.

“He additionally labored at Sporting and is a legend in Portugal, so I felt extra near him and he advised me he would give me time to adapt to life in England with out worrying.”

Viana later described Robson – who was Sporting manager between 1992 and 1994 – as someone who played a very important role in his career, which took him to Valencia and Braga in addition to 29 caps for his country.

Accidents would in the end hamper his progress, and Viana introduced his retirement aged 33 in October 2016.

He hung up his boots and turned his focus to excelling behind the scenes within the boardroom. He was made sporting director at Belenenses in Could 2017, however held the put up for simply six months.

It’s the work he has accomplished in turning Sporting again right into a Portuguese powerhouse over the previous six years that has earned him his new place at Metropolis.

Moreover the 2 league titles in 2021 and 2024, Sporting’s second-place end in 2022 marked the membership’s third-highest factors tally within the historical past of the Portuguese high flight.

Begiristain has been Pep Guardiola’s right-hand man, reworking Metropolis into the four-time champions of England.

He grew to become director of soccer in October 2012, having been in the identical place at Barcelona from 2003-10, and was broadly credited with luring compatriot Guardiola to Metropolis 4 years later.

It was Begiristain who backed Guardiola in his managerial massive break at Barcelona, with the pair hanging up a detailed friendship as team-mates on the Catalan membership within the early-to-mid Nineteen Nineties.

Tasked with sustaining these requirements and preserving Begiristain’s legacy, Viana should present he’s able to repeating his latest success.

Metropolis journey to face Sporting within the Champions League early subsequent month. When Viana takes his seat within the administrators’ field on the Estadio Jose Alvalade, he can have one foot in each camps. Solely the person himself will not see it that means.

Metropolis wished their new director of soccer in place for the New 12 months, however whereas Viana will work alongside Begiristain to make sure a clean handover, he has insisted he’ll see out the present season alongside supervisor Ruben Amorim.

He’ll nonetheless be concerned in a restructuring course of at Sporting, transitioning to a special mannequin the place there isn’t a director of soccer. Sporting are high of the league following eight consecutive victories, and Metropolis admire such loyalty to his present trigger.

Viana has steadied a financially unstable membership to complete three consecutive years with a revenue for the primary time ever, with an emphasis on creating youth.

At Metropolis, nonetheless, he will likely be anticipated to draw the world’s greatest gamers – and it’s a problem Viana will relish.

Portuguese journalist Pedro Sepulveda advised Sky Sports activities: “Hugo is going to work with young, talented players but of course when you work on a project like Manchester City, you always have to have the big names. I’m sure he will sign those players, too.

“Hugo is aware of he’s becoming a member of one of many largest golf equipment on the planet, so he could not say no to this invitation.

“I don’t think Viana has set terms on the arrangement where he has demanded a certain fee to join City. He has good connections with agents when you consider he worked under Jorge Mendes. Considering the environment around him, I really feel this is the right appointment for City.

“The work Sporting have achieved over the previous few years is not solely right down to Viana, as supervisor Ruben Amorim deserves a number of credit score however the connection between the 2 is simple.”

Could Viana be reunited with Amorim at City?

Focus this worldwide break has been on the way forward for Guardiola at Metropolis with the Catalan’s present contract expiring in the summertime. Begiristain’s departure from the Etihad has raised additional questions on whether or not Guardiola will delay his keep in Manchester.

Naturally, with the change in director of soccer coinciding with that date on the finish of June 2025, there have been inevitable ideas that Metropolis might not finish their raid of Sporting with Viana.

“If Guardiola does decide to leave, I’m pretty sure the first manager Hugo Viana is going to present to the board will be Amorim,” added Sepulveda.

“But I would also say that I don’t think they have brought in Viana because they think it is the easiest way of attracting him.

“Amorim has a €20m launch clause in his Sporting contract, so I believe they’ve targeted extra on the work of Viana over a time frame.”

In March 2020, it was he who took a punt on untested Amorim’s €10m Braga buyout clause. He had already thought of bringing him to Sporting months earlier as their B group supervisor.

It will show a masterstroke because the membership ended their two-decade-long anticipate a home title. The connection has been a convincing success, with Sporting the present champions.

The likes of Manuel Ugarte and Pedro Porro have been bought for big revenue and the membership introduced a report income of €246.7m final time period.

Amorim has stated of their relationship: “Viana has proved, over and over, that he can do magic. We have to remember that we fight against clubs that are stronger than us financially, so we have to put much more effort, we have to present our project and show our track record in the transfer market.

“All of the coaches must be fortunate sufficient to work with Hugo Viana. Not solely due to his competence however due to the loyalty he has with the coaches.

“It’s like he’s a family member and he’s always ready to help the manager and the club. His role has been crucial. I speak for myself when I say Viana is essential. He plays a fundamental role and does his job like no one else.”

The Portuguese is claimed to cover from the highlight – described in his homeland as ‘the shadow man’ – however there isn’t a mistaking the affect he has had since returning to Sporting as director of soccer in 2018.

Alongside the Ugarte and Porro transfers, the 41-year-old was behind different key gross sales together with Bruno Fernandes, Matheus Nunes, Nuno Mendes and Joao Palhinha.

The event of Viktor Gyokeres right into a prolific goalscorer now revered throughout the continent following his arrival from Coventry final summer time has solely strengthened Viana’s fame throughout Europe. Goncalo Inacio, Ousmane Diomande, Morten Hjulmand and Geovany Quenda have all flourished beneath his watch.

As he embarks on his first journey outdoors of his homeland, the Viana-Amorim partnership may effectively re-emerge as early as subsequent summer time if Guardiola does name time on his Metropolis tenure.

What has been stated about Viana?

Sporting president Frederico Varandas stated: “We believe a lot in the work process, when I talk about this recognition, I’m not just talking about the manager. Hugo Viana is a fundamental piece and I’m very proud of this structure.”

Former Porto striker Domingos Paciencia advised A Bola: “I think his work is in line with what has been happening at Sporting. The merit, of course, does not just belong to Hugo, but also to an entire structure, but his role is fundamental because he is always aware of what you can do in advance [to get ahead of clubs].

“He has that ability and he also has the ability in the selection criteria when it comes to choosing players, and the fact that he, himself was a player, he also understands their point of view, which is very important. Hugo is someone who is very willing to take care of things and has the ability to communicate with a lot of people.

“Work at all times goes means past visibility and the group’s efficiency, however it’s work that must be accomplished and his work has attracted a number of consideration. It is pure that anybody in soccer desires to have competent folks and that may contribute so much by way of high quality to the groups.”

Former Portugal defender Rui Fonte advised Radio Renascenca: “With the resources he will have, he could do a brilliant job, considering what he’s done here with merit, due to the relationship he built with the president and Ruben [Amorim].

“And now, with so many assets at his disposal [at City], he’ll have the ability to do much more. One thing uncommon was constructed right here and if he manages to do it once more, to have this concord with the president and the coach, he’ll already be midway to success.

“Competence is not just for the players and coaches. Here we do a lot with little. I had the opportunity to see other realities and it reflects our work. They also start to look at the people who lead, not just the players and coaches.”

Viana ready for big step up at Man Metropolis

Portuguese soccer journalist Pedro Sepulveda:

“It’s going to be a huge challenge for Viana. He’s 41 years old, he’s still young for this kind of role. He made a huge work in Sporting.

“He bought gamers like Bruno Fernandes, Manuel Ugarte, Nuno Mendes, Manuel Ugarte and Pedro Porro however I might say it is simple to promote these sorts of gamers when they’re of their prime.

“But it’s important to say he sold players from Sporting to Leicester City like [Abdul] Fatawu for €17m, Mateus Fernandes to Southampton for €15m and [Youseff] Chermiti to Everton for €14.5m.

“These gamers didn’t have that many minutes within the first division in Portugal so, big work from Viana to get these sorts of gross sales for Sporting.

“At Sporting, he had little money but a huge margin for failure. Now it’s going to change. At City, he is going to have more money but zero margin to fail.”

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