Rui Jorge: “I feel more than fulfilled here”

Coach Rui Jorge said he feels “more than satisfied” managing the Portuguese under-21 football team he has been with since 2011, having a “great” relationship with Roberto Martinez.

During the transition period in the first team, between the departure of Fernando Santos and the arrival of the Spaniard Roberto Martinez, the name of Rui Jorge was one of the most mentioned in the press for succession, but this did not happen, remaining in command of PL-21.

“You always knew what my will was. Some situations were actually mentioned, but I always remembered what I like to do. I feel more than satisfied here. that’s what really matters to me, and has mattered all these years And that the “master” who is in our main selection always knows that there is someone here who will fight to have everything it was going well for the best,” he told Lusa.

In an interview he gave at the Cidade do Futebol in Oeiras before the entourage left for the Georgian capital to play in the European Under-21 Championship, Rui Jorge explained how his work complements that of Martinez.

“The relationship was excellent. In the time he’s been here, I think “Mr” Roberto Martinez already knows the players very well who are in the under-21 space, but [os jogadores] they also know that it is very difficult to have a place there because the quality is huge. It is important for us that he knows them and knows what he can expect from those who are here. So I think it’s part of a structure that works the way it should,” said the former left-back.

In this direct complementarity, the names of Gonçalo Inácio, Vitigny or Gonçalo Ramos stand out, who were part of the qualifying round and who are now present in AA mourning the injuries of João Mario, Tomas Tavares, Thiago Djalo and David. Costa.

On the other hand, Benfica midfielder João Neves’ unparalleled call stands out in the European Championship final list: “João finished the season beautifully, at a very high level and with high-stress games. He deserves to be here, and from the moment he got into the group, he has become another player who helps us,” the coach said.

Of some voluntary passes, Rui Jorge explained: “It hurts me when a player comes, does what he is asked, tries to do his best, integrates in the best way in the group, he has a good spirit and everything we want , and then it is not called. It’s costly for them, I have no doubt, but it’s also costly for the coach.”

To make these “hard” decisions, 50-year-old Rui Jorge, when compiling the final squad, takes into account some aspects, namely the relationship between athletes, the style of play, complementarity, who still goes to the next qualification or multivalence, without distinguishing between national or international contexts .

“These are situations in which we must find a balance. Sometimes we can’t choose between one player and another, and there’s one of those factors that matters more or that we value more because we feel the need. difficult situation than to take a player and bet. It’s not like that,” the 50-year-old coach emphasized.

The 24th European Under-21 Championships will take place in three cities in Georgia and two in Romania from Wednesday to 8 July, with Portugal looking to make its first success in the category after defeats in late 1994, 2015 and 2021. .

Team Kinas will face three Group A challenges in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, always at 20:00 local time (17:00 in Lisbon), against debutant hosts (Wednesday), the 2006 Champions Netherlands. and 2007 (Saturday) and to Belgium (June 27).

Portugal must finish in one of the top two positions of the “pool” to qualify for the next round of the European Under-21 Championship, which brings together 16 finalists for the second time in a row and is scheduled to be decided on 8 July. at Adjarabet Arena in Batumi, Georgia.