If Manchester United have taken a calculated gamble on Ruben Amorim, then the decision Braga made back in 2019 was a pretty massive risk.
A risk that, in hindsight, reaped pretty spectacular – if brief – rewards.
When a 34-year-old Ruben Amorim was appointed as the head coach of one of SC Braga five years ago, the former Portugal international had only four games at the helm of a first-team outfit under his belt.
And that 360 minutes of experience came in the dugout of third-tier Casa Pia.
So when Braga promoted Amorim from their B team to take over the senior side, expectations may have been somewhat muted.
That Sporting Lisbon jumped at the chance to make Amorim the most expensive manager in the history of Portuguese football only four months later – triggering his £8.5 million release clause – speaks volumes about the quite remarkable foundations he laid down at the Estadio Municipal.
Foundations which would provide the basis for his arrival at Manchester United in November 2024. This time, however, the expectations could hardly be different.
And the manner in which Amorim masterminded Sporting’s 4-1 Champions League hammering of Man City will be familiar to Braga supporters who watched his formative days in management in a state of awe.
Braga president pays Ruben Amorim tribute after Manchester United move
“Braga is proud of Ruben Amorim for having started here and having the success he has,” club president Antonio Salvador says, via O Jogo.
“I already knew he was capable of this. I knew he was a coach who would be unique. Special.”
‘Special’ is a pretty fitting description of Amorim’s Braga spell. Short but sugar-cane sweet.
A 7-1 victory in his first game in charge was a sign of things to come. Three weeks later, Amorim guided Braga to Taca da Liga glory while stunning the giants of FC Porto in the final. The club’s first trophy in four years.
Amorim also dragged Braga up to third in the table with Joao Palhinha – now of Bayern Munich – scoring the winner as The Archbishops triumphed in Benfica’s Estadio da Luz cathedral after a near-seven decade wait.
Antonio Salvadar always thought Ruben Amorim was ‘great’
“He deserves everything that is happening to him,” adds Salvador, who previously described Amorim’s glorious 12-week reign as a ‘historic’ period in Braga’s history.
“I am also proud of all the coaches who have passed through Braga and who are now at major European clubs, at major world clubs. This is the path that Braga has taken.
“[Amorim’s appointment at Manchester United] is recognition of the work and affection that Ruben has shown here in Braga.
“We have a great relationship. It’s been there ever since he was a player here at Braga, in 2012/13, when he was on loan from Benfica. We had a relationship. I knew he could be and would become a great coach and here he is.
“Congratulations to him.”
If Amorim was to replicate the impact he made at Braga in his new Old Trafford home, that would be some way to repay Manchester United’s faith.
A top-three finish, a domestic title, and a couple of headline wins over the league’s A-list clubs; Amorim’s stellar Braga spell is proof of what can happen when a truly elite tactician gets his claws into an underperforming squad with plenty still to play for.
Amorim was pictured arriving in Manchester on Monday afternoon. The now-39-year-old will lead the Red Devils out for the first time against Ipswich Town on November 24th.
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