Carlos Queiroz Appointed New Manager of Portugal
Replacing Luiz Felipe Scolari the Head Coach at Chelsea
Carlos Queiroz has been appointed as the new head coach of Portugal. He replaces Luiz Felipe Scolari whose appointment as manager of Chelsea was announced during the Euro2008 competition. That appointment was seen as a distraction that resulted in a formidable Portugal team which included Cristiano Ronaldo, making an early exit from the tournament. Having topped their group Portugal unexpectedly succumbed to Germany in the first knock-out stage, a great disappointment to the Portuguese who saw their neighbours, Spain, claim the trophy.
At Manchester United
Queiroz has spent the past five years working under Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, joining them in July, 2004. The climax to that successful period was achieved with successive Premier League titles in the past two seasons and gaining the ultimate prize of winning the Champions League final against Chelsea in Moscow, last May. That was Queiroz’s second time at Old Trafford where he spent the 2002-03 season as Ferguson’s second in command. That initial period at United was also marked with success when the club claimed the Premier League title.
At Real Madrid
For season 2003-04 Queiroz responded to an offer from Real Madrid to take over as manager. David Beckham had just signed for Real Madrid and after an impressive start to the season Real were top of the La Liga but poor performances and results in the final weeks saw them fall away to finish fourth and they also missed out in the Champions League and the Spanish Cup. Less than a year after joining Real Madrid Queiroz was sacked.
Coach to Portugal Under-20 Youth Team
Queiroz has previous experience working in international football and also of with Portugal. He first came to prominence as coach to the Portuguese under-20 youth team which won the World Youth Championship in 1989 and 1991. He is credited with discovering and nurturing the ‘golden age’ of Portuguese players, including Luis Figo, Rui Costa, Joao Vieira and Jorge Costa, who have achieved so much in the past decade both internationally and at club level.
Varied Management Experiences at Club and International Level
Following this success Queiroz was appointed coach to the Portugal international team. He was appointed in 1991 but failure to qualify for Euro1992 and the World Cup in 1994 saw him leave this post. He went into club management as head coach of Sporting Lisbon for two years before going to coach in United States of America with New York/New Jersey MetroStars for a year. He then spent a year in Japan coaching Grampus Eight. His return to international management came in 1999 as coach of the United Arab Emirates for a year and then with South Africa for two years.
Portugal - High Expectations
Queiroz, aged fifty five, is highly regarded at Old Trafford and was thought to be one of the candidates to be considered when Sir Alex finally decides to retire from management. However, the call to return to manage Portugal was too great for Queiroz and with star players like Ronaldo available Portugal will be expected to make a big impression in the 2010 World Cup to be held in South Africa.
