In an interview with the German newspaper BILD, the Sporting president recounted what turned a doctor into one of the most successful leaders of the “green and whites”.
Frederico Varandas gave an interview to the German newspaper BILD this Monday, where he revisited his arrival as president of Sporting in 2018 and explained the path that led the club to recover titles, stability and European competitiveness.
“Sporting was going through the biggest crisis in its history. They hadn’t won the championship since 2002, there had been the attack on the Academy, and several players had terminated their contracts. The president at the time was dismissed, and we were in a serious financial and sporting crisis,” he began by saying.
I had already been a clinical director for seven years and knew Sporting’s football very well. I was 38 years old, but I believed in my leadership abilities and my knowledge of the club,” he added to the German newspaper.
When questioned about the fact that he was not a businessman, “the most common profile among presidents of major European clubs,” but rather a “career military officer and doctor,” Varandas rejected the idea that this was an obstacle.
“I had to learn a lot about financial management, but I always believed that the fundamental skills are leadership, strategic thinking, and the ability to build a good team. I learned that in the Army, and it helped me immensely,” he said.
Since 2018, Sporting has won three championships, including last season’s. Varandas has no doubts about the magnitude of this positive run.
“Sporting is currently experiencing one of the best phases in its history. We are now number one in Portugal, something that hasn’t happened in decades. […] We’ve had positive financial results in five of the last six years, the stadium is almost always sold out, and there are more than ten thousand people waiting for a season ticket. The stadium has been renovated and modernized. The secret is the vision and talent of the people around me,” emphasized the Sporting president.
Faced with the multi-million pound transfers of Gyökeres, Bruno Fernandes and Nuno Mendes, Varandas highlighted the quality of Sporting’s youth academy and scouting.
“According to the Transfermarkt website , we have the most valuable team in Europe outside the top five leagues . This shows the excellent work of our academy and our scouting department. I don’t want to highlight names, but we know that many big European clubs are watching several of our players,” the manager stated.
Sporting are well on their way to at least the playoffs in the Champions League, currently occupying eighth place in the group stage. However, Frederico Varandas remains grounded ahead of the match against Bayern Munich , the Lions’ opponent this Tuesday.
“For me, Bayern is one of the three best teams in the world. Scoring a goal at the Allianz Arena is probably one of the most difficult tasks right now. They are the clear favorites. We only have the ambition and dreams of our players,” he concluded.