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| ReutersYonhap News |
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| APYonhap News |
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Will we see Jose Mourinho at the 2026 North-China World Cup.
It is news that Mourinho's inauguration as the coach of the Portuguese national team is imminent. Citing multiple European media news on the 24th (Korea time), CNN reported that a contract between the Portuguese Football Association and Mourinho is imminent. Portuguese media Porto Goal reported the local atmosphere, saying, `Pedru Proenza, president of the Portuguese Football Association, strongly wants to appoint Mourinho.
Mourinho is currently leading Fenerbahce. However, Turkiye Superry continues his difficult move, falling behind rival Galatasaray in the competition for the championship, and being eliminated from the round of 16 in the Europa League. The most criticized is that he is winless with one draw and two losses in the Istanbul derby against Galatasaray. Large and small controversies are also burdensome. Therefore, some predict that Mourinho will leave Turkiye at the end of this season.
Portugal is in Group F along with Hungary, Ireland and Armenia in the European qualifying round for the North-China World Cup. As Portugal, which overwhelms the three teams in terms of objective power, is expected to win the direct ticket to the finals given to the top of the group without difficulty. However, as Portugal was eliminated after losing to Denmark in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Nations League A, trust in coach Roberto Martinez is shaking. At Euro 2024, which was played under Martinez, he advanced to the quarterfinals after a poor performance, but his poor performance at international competitions seems to be a negative factor.
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| ReutersYonhap News |
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Mourinho is a masterpiece produced by Portugal. Since he rose to prominence by putting FC Porto at the top of the European Champions League, he has been through prestigious European teams such as Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, and AS Roma. There are 26 trophies he has lifted. The image of a vitriolic man obtained through his outspoken talk continues in Turkey.
Portugal is home to top European players such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes, Bernardu Silva and Juven Díaz. However, he has rarely shown strength in international competitions, such as being hit by Bento at the 2022 Qatar World Cup. The Portuguese Football Association's view is that Mourinho's system, which has a lot of fine bones, can be the key to quenching the thirst for the international trophy.
If Portugal switches to Mourinho's system and wins a ticket to the finals, there will also be a possibility of reuniting with Korean soccer. South Korea met Portugal in the group stage of the 2022 Qatar World Cup following the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup. Portugal has many good memories in Korean soccer. At the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup, he set the stage for the semifinal myth with a 1-0 victory in the final group match, and also made a dramatic advance to the round of 16 with a 2-1 come-from-behind victory in Qatar.
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| APYonhap News |
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This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
