Just as he was about to celebrate the one-year anniversary of leaving Benfica and going to Ecuador, Renato Paiva told Zero Zero about his experience in Independiente del Valle and the path toward possibility of making history. In addition, the Portuguese coach spoke about his long years of association with Benfica, about the many youngsters who passed through his hands, now appearing on the radar of the main team, and the moment of Bruno Lage’s departure.
Focus on one of the topics covered by Renato Paiva Paulo Bernardo, the young man who lived with him in the B team and who recently made his debut in the main Benfica team, who left him coarse praise, considering that he will be a great source of financial and sporting income for those who embody in the future.
| Paulo Bernardo 2021/2022 |
10 games 715 Minutes
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A regular name in the B team since last season, Paulo Bernardo made his debut in Benfica’s first team this year. make your Absolute debut In the main team on the respect stage, Allianz Arena – in the defeat in front of 5 x 2 With Bayern Munich – then in the Champions League and recently made his debut in the first league against SC Braga (6 x 1).
Jorge Jesus left you torn apart compliments And the numbers of the time he spent on the field – he entered the 23rd minute with the injured Joao Mario – support him. The 19-year-old had a firm show and tried not to be mistaken. He always tried to play it simple and did so little of what João Mário was doing which led him to make some mistakes, so that he ended up with a 90% success rate. In addition, he lost the ball only twice in the entire match and was supportive in defense, taking two cuts and winning six duels. All that was required was to go forward in the attack – just one shot – something that has evolved over the years, said Renato Paiva.
Zero Zero (ZZ): Paulo Bernardo recently made his first-team debut, against Bayern Munich, and in the league against SC Braga. Did you see these two games? What do you think of the performance?
Renato Paiva (RP): Paulo has a beautiful history with us. He was identified in Benfica as an elite midfielder, but I told him that there was a difference between an outstanding midfielder and a high-quality line player: goalscoring. As long as he doesn’t score he will never reach the elite midfielder. The truth is that Paulo, as the smart kid, knew how to listen, wait and act accordingly. I was still on the B team and he started scoring goals to get to the goal. Demand comes and goes. Everyone looked at him as 10 and he became 8. He had a defensive sacrifice. I left and he continued his journey and kept scoring goals. I was happy when I saw Paulo’s goals, because I remembered this story and he knows it’s true. Paulo played some B team matches, if this is the moment? The decision will always be up to whomever he works with. Jorge Jesus knows that in order to define the moment, we also have to look at the context. If Paulo is better than the other options, the decision is up to the coach. What I can assess is Paulo’s potential and that never ends. And I said after leaving, Paulo is the biggest future sale to Benfica and the future of coaching with more sporting performances at 11 Benfica. I see Paulo, in relation to everyone else, even if they don’t like to listen and with all my affection for them, that way. I’ve said this in the past about Joao Felix, and I just want to do it right in the battle for the Ballon d’Or, and now I’m saying this about Paulo. I feel different from others in many ways. I feel that he is destined and that if he is healthy and without serious injuries, he will give Benfica a lot of sporting and financial income. Only Jorge Jesus will be able to set the timing, but at least he has already shown that he is ready to get into the middle of tough matches. Now Paulo has to find his way as he did here.
ZZ: One of the key aspects, besides his quality, is the mental aspect at this point. How is it on this side?
RP: Paulo is a very reserved kid. You can’t hear yourself talking and I’ve already told you you have to speak louder and more often, but I also think it helps. Focus, be there. On the field he changes and his football speaks for him. Be a leader. But on the outside he is a reserved child, very modest and calm, but focused on what he wants. He has everything to be an elite player, there is no extravagance or distraction. He is very intelligent, he knows what he wants, he knows how to listen, which is a very great virtue. That’s how she got to where she got and I think she’s going to get where she’s going.
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