Assistant coach at Ulsan Hyundai, Joao Nuno Fonseca's career has been marked by experiences in Portugal, France, Qatar and now South Korea, as he prepares to take part in the Club World Cup in the United States. A journey through the past, present and future with the young Portuguese coach.
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Ulsan Hyundai prepare for the Club World CupUlsan Hyundai
" Benfica 's training is excellent in all aspects"
Flashscore: João Nuno Fonseca has had a remarkable career in youth football, especially at Académica, with spells in Qatar, Benfica, and then in France - at Reims and Valenciennes. And now, a new stage in South Korea. But let's get to Korea. Before that, what led you to enter the world of football and, more specifically, coaching?
Fonseca: "First of all, thank you for the invitation. It's a pleasure to be able to share a bit of my story and my journey in football. From a very young age, football was always present in my life. Then, when I was in secondary school, Jose Mourinho's success at the helm of Porto had a huge impact on me. It created an immense desire within me to follow that path.
"My career began in Coimbra, at Academica, where I worked as an assistant coach for the under-19s. At the same time, I worked with the analysis department of the first team, which at the time was led by Jorge Costa, and later by Ulisses Morais, Professor Zé Guilherme and Pedro Emanuel - with whom we reached the final of the Portuguese Cup, which we ended up winning.
"Before I left for Qatar, I also had the opportunity to work with Sergio Conceicao in the analysis department at Academica.
"This passion was fuelled even before I entered university at FCDEF in Coimbra. I already had a clear goal at that time: to build an academic career oriented towards performance and high-performance football."
After your formative years in Coimbra and your move to Qatar, you arrived at Benfica at the start of this decade, where you worked with the likes of Samuel Soares, now in the first team, Antonio Silva, an undisputed starter in defence, Tomas Araujo, Henrique Araujo, Hugo Felix, Tiago Gouveia... a veritable generation of talent. In your opinion, of all the players you've had the chance to work with, who has yet to make the breakthrough?
"Look, I've followed all of them closely and, naturally, with a special affection for the journey that each one has made. If you asked me to single someone out, I'd say Tiago Gouveia. As well as his quality on the pitch, Tiago has an exceptional human side.
"He's one of those players who bring a team together in the locker room. I think the shoulder injury he had recently put a bit of a damper on his season.
"When he was on loan at Estoril, he had a fantastic season. He showed the impact he can have on a team and all his talent. In my opinion, Tiago is at that turning point right now, ready to make a definitive name for himself and make the leap to the next level. I see unique qualities in him for that to happen. He's on the doorstep."
Praise for Luis Enrique: "He fosters an atmosphere of comfort between coach and team"
PSG finally won the Champions League, with Luis Enrique at the helm and several Portuguese players excelling on and off the pitch. Was this a surprise for you? How do you rate the work done this season?
"I'm not surprised because of the strategic vision of someone like Luis Campos, who is behind all this. The way he structures the club and makes that structure functional and efficient is decisive.
"Then there's the talent that has been recruited and, above all, the clear bet on the continuity of a coach who, in my opinion, is way ahead, both tactically and on a human level.
"For me, he's one of the best-prepared coaches around. And not just now - if we look back at his career at Barcelona and, later, with the Spanish national team (even though he didn't have enough time to show his full worth there), we realise that we're talking about someone who is very much aligned with the player's thoughts and well-being.
Luis Enrique has a close relationship with PSG playersFRANCK FIFE / AFP
"He fosters an atmosphere of comfort and trust between coach and team, something I consider increasingly essential in the management of high-performance teams. The human side is just as important today as technical and tactical knowledge and he represents that perfectly."
João Nuno Fonseca with the Ulsan Hyundai's coaching staffUlsan Hyundai
"We want Ulsan to be one of the surprises of the Club World Cup"
How did this challenge at Ulsan come about in your career? What motivated you to take this step and embrace such a different project?
"I met the coach even before I joined Reims, as a result of the work I was doing at Benfica at the time. There was initial contact, we got to know each other, and I was about to follow him to the Malaysian national team.
"However, the offer from Reims came along sooner, and that's where I went at the time. So that connection with the coach goes back a long way.
"And this past year, with a few options on the table, I ended up opting for a completely different challenge, in a new culture, in different football, and with the icing on the cake: being able to take part in the Club World Cup."
What distinguishes South Korean football from other leagues you've played in?
"Football in South Korea is, I would say, a football of possession, but a possession that often doesn't translate into goals. That's something I've been observing very closely, because I can clearly see the impact that the local culture has on the way the final third of the pitch is defined.
"And when I talk about culture, I'm referring to the social and historical context: we're in a country that's still living, in quotes, 'at war', and that's even reflected in the way the players grow up. There's a certain fear of making mistakes.
"At youth level, for example, I feel that many players shrink away from the chance to take a shot. They're afraid of failing, because mistakes aren't always accepted. And often, instead of finalising, they choose to keep moving the ball around. It's a cultural trait that I've discussed a lot internally.
FC Porto's group at the Club World CupFlashscore
"Even so, it's technically very advanced football. The players are highly capable of resolving situations in short spaces, with great technical quality. Now, physically, they're not as strong as the players I've worked with elsewhere. That's a noticeable difference when I compare it to what I've experienced, for example, in Portugal or France."
Do you think that's one of the aspects to be improved in Korean football - making the South Korean player more robust, more physically prepared for high-performance contexts?
"Maybe, maybe. But I don't really like to say that definitively, because I believe it's fundamental to respect the nature of the players. And when that identity is respected, the type of intervention that needs to be made often involves more tactical aspects.
"And when I say tactical, I mean details like the final third, the way you get to those areas of the pitch and the balance you maintain at the back to prevent certain counter-attacks. These are details that, when worked on properly, make all the difference.
"That's why I believe that the evolution of football in Korea will come down to this. In other words, greater tactical sophistication in the coming years, without ever distorting what the players are by nature."
Benfica's group at the Club World CupFlashscore
Ulsan are three-time Korean champions and are now through to the Club World Cup. They're up against teams like Mamelodi Sundows, Fluminense and Borussia Dortmund - a group that's far from easy. What is the team's main objective in this competition?
"Well, it's a group that, first and foremost, allows us to dream. I believe that the focus should always be on each match and that's our main focus. Thinking game by game will allow us to go into each match with the aim of scoring, and that thought is present throughout the team structure. We know we have the ability to do it.
"Ulsan is an important club on the Asian scene. In 2020, they won the Asian Champions League and have been in practically every final stage of the competition in recent years. So within the Asian context, it's a highly competitive team.
"Now, of course, we're talking about a competition on a global scale. The Club World Cup is always special, and we know that surprises are part and parcel of this kind of tournament. Our aim is precisely to try to be one of those surprises.
What do you expect from Benfica and Porto's participation in this Club World Cup?
"As a proud Portuguese, I hope that both teams go as far as possible. And I truly believe they have the quality to do it. Both Benfica and Porto have the ability to go far in this competition.
"Now, everything will depend on one key factor: recovery between games. That, for me, is the fundamental point. How we manage rest time, physical recovery, and training loads will make all the difference.
"Both we and the other teams will have to take a step forward in this regard. If we don't manage it well, if we don't effectively control recovery between matches, then the biggest problems can arise throughout the competition.
Joao Nuno Fonseca works in South KoreaUlsan Hyundai
"I'd love to go back to my country"
You're currently working as an assistant coach. When will you start a project as head coach? Or do you feel it's too soon to take that step?
"No, it's not too soon. In fact, it was about to happen, but it hasn't happened yet simply because the right project hasn't knocked on the door yet.
But when you say it's been a long time coming... was it in Portugal?
"The truth is that it was more likely to happen outside Portugal than in Portugal. In the last 15 years of my career, more than half has been spent abroad. Even so, I always say with pride that I'm Portuguese and that I'd love to be able to return to my country, to a football that I admire so much and which, in my opinion, has a lot to offer the European scene.
"Portugal is a real showcase of talent, with players of above-average ability. What often happens is that there is still a lack of vision when it comes to investing in young coaches.
"Fortunately, this has been changing in recent years, with examples such as Joao Pereira, Luis Pinto, Vasco (Botelho da Costa), coaches of my generation, who started earlier at lower levels and are now making a name for themselves.
Ulsan Hyundai's upcoming matchesFlashscore
"In my case, as an assistant coach, my career has taken me abroad. But you never know. The book is always open and the suitcases are always packed for a return."
As for Ulsan, which players should we keep an eye on at the Club World Cup? Are there any names you think could surprise us?
"I'm not going to individualise, because I've always been a defender of the team. And I think that singling out any individual player at the moment would be unfair to everyone else. All those who start against Sundowns will, as of today, be our best players to represent the team.
"What I can say is that anyone who watches the game will realise that the Korean players are technically very developed. In fact, this has been one of the most fascinating discoveries for me in this experience.
"They are extremely hard-working, selfless players with an enormous capacity to absorb ideas. They genuinely endeavour to respect what the coach wants. It's been a fantastic experience so far.
Has the strategic and tactical aspect of the game evolved in Korea? Do you feel that South Korean football is making strides in this dimension of the game?
"Yes, definitely. Domestically, we've noticed that opponents are adapting more to what we are, and that's natural given that we're the defending champions. Opponents study us more, adjust to our characteristics and try to neutralise our strengths.
"The competitiveness in the league, especially this year, has clearly been higher than in the last three or four years here in Korea. Much of this is due to the influx of foreign coaches, who have brought new ideas, different ways of playing and raised the level of the league. This inevitably contributes to the evolution of South Korean football."
At the moment, your league is around 18, 19 rounds in - that is, you're roughly halfway through the season. That means that this World Cup is perhaps coming at a less-than-ideal time for you, right?
"We had a very busy month of May, when we played eight matches. And that ended up giving us a very real preparation for what the World Cup will be like.
"I'd even say that, in that sense, we may be one step ahead in terms of competitive pace and preparation, especially compared to some European teams who, although they've played a lot of games throughout the season, may arrive at this stage with accumulated levels of fatigue.
Because the European teams are at the end of the season and you're in the middle of it. Is that it?
"Precisely. Both we and Fluminense are currently in the middle of the season - let's say we're "touching" the halfway point of the competitive calendar.
"On the other hand, Sundowns and Borussia Dortmund are teams that have just finished their seasons and bring with them an overload of matches very different from ours. This difference in the competitive momentum of each team can have an impact, both on physical freshness and on the emotional and tactical management of matches."