Paulo Bento
Bento as Portugal coach at the 2012 European Football Championship
Paulo Jorge Gomes Bento ( born June 20, 1969 in Lisbon ), known as Paulo Bento, is a former Portuguese football player and current coach. Currently, he is coaching the Portuguese national football team.
- 2.1 Achievements
Career as a football player
Association
In his playing days he was mostly active as a defensive midfielder, represented the teams from Estrela Amadora, Vitória Guimaraes, Benfica, Real Oviedo and ended his career in the summer of 2004, with 35 years at Sporting Lisbon.
Bento laced 1988-1989 his shoes for the youth team of CF Estrela Amadora. For the 1989/90 season he was a member of the senior squad of Amadora. The association, which rose in the first Portuguese League in the summer of 1988, celebrated the Cup victory this year. Thus Bento could quite early win a national title in his career. Until 1991 he was a member of the club and was able to gain first match practice. In summer 1991, he opted for a change to league rivals Vitória Guimarães. There the wrinkled defensive player developed for service providers. These services also recognized the top teams in Portugal and 1994/ 95, Benfica secured the services Bentos. There, too, he showed consistent and good, so that foreign teams were aware of him. In 1996, he ventured finally step abroad to Real Oviedo. But before he could again celebrate the cup win with Benfica. Although he had a regular place in Spain and played in response to a title never passed it there, however. 2000 was the return to Portugal. With Sporting Lisbon he should again gather titles in the autumn of his career. First the Portuguese Super Cup in 2000 before the start of league play operation won. 2002 achieved the same feat with cup win and the national championship triple was done perfectly. In 2004, he said goodbye to the football stage.
National
Bento played 35 times for the Portuguese national team. He was one of the performers during the European Championship in 2000, retired in Portugal only in the semifinals, and was in the squad of the 2002 World Cup.
He made his debut on 15 January 1992 a 0-0 draw against neighboring Spain. His last game for his country, he graduated at the 0-1 defeat during the 2002 World Cup against South Korea.
Achievements
Career as a coach
After he had finished his active career as a player, Bento was hired by his former club Sporting Lisbon as a youth coach and with his team of Portuguese youth champion. After the sacking of José Peseiro he was promoted during the 2005/06 season for head coach of the first team and led at the time of acquisition seventh- placed team at the end of the season to second place. Bento built young players like Nani, João Moutinho and Miguel Veloso one into the team, he had already taken care of in the youth.
In the season 2006/ 07 Sporting Lisbon was active in the UEFA Champions League and missed despite a victory over Inter Milan just the knockout stages. In the Portuguese league, the team landed again in second place and won the Portuguese Cup. Before the start of the 2007/08 season the Lions won under his leadership the Portuguese Supercup. 2007/ 08 played Sporting Lisbon again in the UEFA Champions League. At the end of this season, the national cup was defended by a final victory against FC Porto. On November 6, 2009, he announced his resignation. Bento was responding to the previously strong increase in the criticism of his person.
On 20 September 2010, Bento coach of the Portuguese national team. In the 2012 European Football Championship he came with Portugal to the semifinals and failed there to Spain with 2:4 on penalties.
Achievements
- Portuguese youth champion with Sporting Lisbon
- Portuguese Cup Winners: 2006/ 07, 2007/ 08
- Portuguese Supercup: 2007, 2008