When a club appoints a new coach, fans often focus on their track record. Newly appointed Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso faced similar scrutiny on Tuesday following his announcement as Manqoba Mngqithi’s successor.
Cardoso, who previously managed Esperance de Tunis, holds a UEFA Pro Licence and has overseen 115 matches in his career, achieving 44 wins, 27 draws, and 44 losses.
A similar reaction greeted Jose Riveiro when he was unveiled as Orlando Pirates’ head coach. However, Riveiro has since silenced doubters by securing three consecutive MTN8 titles and two Nedbank Cup trophies. Time will tell if Cardoso can replicate such success.
The 52-year-old emphasized that a coach’s achievements shouldn’t be measured solely by the number of trophies won.
“It’s really interesting these discussions because we live in a society and we live in a sport where people judge the CV by trophies but sometimes they forget that in order to win, not only you need to be in a context where you can truly fight to win, but also sometimes you are in a context where winning is not really getting trophies,” said Cardoso.
“I have four finals of big competitions and we won zero. I’m speaking about [UEFA] Youth League, Under 19 with Shaktar Donetsk, Europa League with Braga, I’m speaking about the final of the Champions League with Esperance. Being on those finals is so big that when you look at my CV don’t judge because we lost that game.
The Portuguese tactician won the 2023/24 Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1 with Esperance and also led them to the final of the CAF Champions League where they lost to Al Ahly. He eliminated Sundowns in the quarterfinal on his way to the final.
Before joining the Tunisian club, the coach was without a year for almost two years. He said the reason for the hiatus was because he was waiting for a team that was in good standing to win titles.
“I waited one and a half years without work to enter the club where I had the chance to put trophies because I know how society is and society also judges you by trophies. I wanted to enter the club where I could win and when I entered, I succeeded, and I won. I’m the champion of Tunisia at the moment,” he concluded.
Alongside Cardoso, Sundowns have brought in assistants Fabio Fernandes, Pedro Azevedo, and Joao Araujo.