After 17 years of working with Jorge Jesus, Mário Monteiro will now join Vítor Pereira’s technical team at Flamengo. A return to the field for the 58-year-old physical trainer, after choosing not to accompany JJ No. Fenerbahce.
«I had already told Jorge Jesus that I would no longer work in Europe, I had already given up on my career. I would have liked to have finished better at Benfica and decided to take a year off from work. Flamengo had already offered me to stay in 2020, but I was loyal to my coach [Jorge Jesus]🇧🇷 I’m very happy! I come back to a house that I really like and have always been treated very well. I have a special fondness. Expectations are high,” said Mário Monteiro, quoted by Globo Esporte.
The affection of the fans, who have always asked for his return since his glorious move to the club with Jorge Jesus in 2019, has played a fundamental role in this return. “This type of situation has never happened to me. The crowd was eager for me to return. I have received many messages on social media over the last year as well. It’s a huge thing, which I’m not used to. I’m an easygoing person, but I didn’t expect so much support. Even when he was at Benfica, the Flamengo fan showed this affection. But that’s something I didn’t conquer on my own. It’s the work of the whole technical team, everyone had their own importance », he underlined, sharing the laurels.
At Flamengo he will now work with Vítor Pereira, with whom he began a relationship at the beginning of last year. «We met in São Paulo and talked about football and life experiences. I sent you photos of my travels with my daughter. Until one day she asked me if she could call me to talk about something », she said. The subject was Flamengo…
“I gave the best possible references. He was a bit undecided, I told him about the club, the city, the fans. At the end of that conversation, he said, ‘If I go, I want you to come with me.'”
Mário Monteiro has accepted and will be another Portuguese in Flamengo’s new technical team, alongside Luís Miguel and Rui Quinta, as well as leader Vítor Pereira of course.
