Francisco Conceicao is one of Sergio Conceicao's five children who, according to recent events, may have a personality more similar to his father. In the match against Estoril, the youngster was unhappy about being sent off for accumulating yellow cards, clapped his hands at the referee, and even openly addressed the opposition fans.
A stubborn attitude, according to the athlete, will earn him a brave tug of the ear from his father, who teammates assume has a heavier hand when it comes to his son. To avoid being accused of any kind of special treatment, since he started coaching Francisco, in 2019, Sergio Conceição has always shown that he asks twice as much as his son.
“This emotional part is at home when I'm with him. Here, he's a player like everyone else, he takes it as hard as everyone else; if I have to hug him, I'll hug him. He shed a tear and so do I.” he said, when Francisco made his debut for Porto's main team.
Moreover, he agreed on a few occasions to talk about his son's personal issue. When a question is asked directly, Conceição is careful to shift the subject, so as not to encourage accusations of favoritism.
“I didn't want to get too involved in this personal matter. It's not fair,” he responded when asked about his son's progress, which was also interspersed in his comments about Conceição.
“It's difficult, but the way my father and I experience football makes everything easier, because we know how to differentiate between the roles of coach and son, father and son, player and coach. We know how to differentiate well and we continue to give everything.” To succeed together, Which is what we both want. We talk about everything. We talk about football, but only in the context of work. The young man explained: “At home we talk more about family and friends, not football, because it also helps relieve stress.”
A backstory and unconditional love for Liliana
Accused of vanity and bad temper, this may be the coincidence that life's hardships gave Sergio Conceição. The 49-year-old does not have an easy life story and has overcome adversity with his own hand. “I had a difficult childhood”He admitted in an interview with FLASH! Recalling that he was left without his parents at a very young age and that this orphanhood would have a profound impact on his life.
“I lost my father at a very young age. I was 16 when I lost my father and 18 when I lost my mother. It was a hard blow, because I come from very humble families. It was hardHe remembers. He continued: “He was like all young teenagers, full of dreams. And all this difficulty made me angry with life itself. It was not an easy moment at all.“
And in a particularly painful time, the blue and white coach admits that he relied on the enormous faith that has always pushed him. “I'm a believer. Religion, for me, was very important in terms of my balance and growth and everything that my parents taught me the way they did.”
Today, resilience and a warrior's attitude towards life are undoubtedly part of the values he tries to pass on to his children, especially in the most difficult moments. In these stages, he relies on the support of Liliana, the girl he fell in love with as a child and who will become the wife of his five children, all boys.
The coach is an emotional man and has stated this several times to his partner who he claims is one of the most important pillars in his life.
“For me, you are still the same girl, now the woman, that I fell in love with so many years ago. But over the years, you have become so much more. You are a mother of five amazing boys who are the true pillar of our family,” he said, adding that he recognizes the sacrifices Liliana makes. Because of her exposed profession.
“In the midst of this storm, you are our port of refuge, you are the one who holds the helm when we sometimes stop seeing the north. Your way of being so discreet and simple, but at the same time so strong is what keeps us together“.
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