BINO MACAES made his mark in Portuguese football by winning the European Under-16 Championship in 1989. Over 36 years later, he lifted the trophy again as the national under-17 coach in June, and in December, he went even further by helping the same team win the World Championship. From being a star player to a talent scout, the 52-year-old former midfielder now sees new opportunities as a coach after his contract ends.
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Manuel Albino Morim Macaes has lived the experience of being a young talent in Portuguese football. His playing career started in the late 1980s, a time when the Golden Generation captured the hearts of fans and inspired hopes for Portugal to reach the top of world football. This generation won the U-16 European Championship and the Under-20 World Championship in 1989, and again at the U-20 World Cup in 1991.
Among players like Luís Figo, Jorge Costa, Paulo Sousa, and Fernando Couto, Bino didn't stand out as much as his teammates when moving to senior football, even though he played for Porto and Sporting and represented his country three times between 2000 and 2002.
Maybe that's why he's become a specialist in developing young players, having started his coaching career with Padroense, FC Porto, and Vitoria SC.
At FC Porto, he was the head coach until he stepped down on his own, then moved to Uniao de Leiria before joining the Portuguese Football Federation. His role was to guide the boys from 2008 and 2009, starting at the under-16 level and ending at under-17, with the players praising his coaching style.
In an interview with Flashscore, he reflected on his career and recent successes with a group he once knew as "15-year-old boys" who eventually became world champions, honored by the President of the Republic.
The future of Portuguese football looks bright. As for his personal future, it seems open and full of possibilities.
To be able to train to win, to represent the country in this way and to dignify our shirt is also something we want to continue doing. And then congratulations to my players, who have been fantastic on this journey. It's the fruit of their growth (that's the only way) that these two achievements have been possible."