A-League coach who shares mentor with Mourinho has amazing Aussie view

Sergio Raimundo’s career has taken him all over the world. The former Benfica youth coach is now at the heart of a Central Coast Mariners fairy tale heading into the Isuzu UTE A-League Grand Final. The Portuguese speaks about his experiences and inspirations with KEEPUP’s Sacha Pisani.

Football goes beyond what happens on the pitch and its players; there is a human aspect comprising the psychology behind the game and those involved, players and their emotions, a team’s morale, how the manager motivates his players, and more.

It’s that methodology that has united Portuguese legend Jose Mourinho and Central Coast Mariners assistant Sergio Raimundo via shared mentor Professor Manuel Sergio.

For Manuel Sergio – described as Mourinho’s “methodological father” – he felt a football coach required more than pure knowledge of the game. They needed to be a psychologist and more.

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Influenced by Sergio, Mourinho blazed a trail in Portugal as he mastered the methodology. That mindset has also inspired Central Coast’s Portuguese coach in Gosford, who himself has been mentored by his renowned countryman.

“If you cry and analyse the tear, it’s water and salt but no one can see the feelings that’s inside. He said the same about kicks,” Raimundo told KEEPUP. “You never understand the kicks if you don’t understand the person that kicks.

“Someone who had a very humanistic approach to the game. Someone who valued more the person as a human than the footballer and the technical aspect.

“He was key in everything I apply as a coach, maybe 95% came from that mindset that he created. Not just football but he made me see the world different too.”

Raimundo first crossed paths with Sergio during his four-year spell at Portuguese powerhouse Benfica.

He had been working with Benfica’s academy when then-coach Jorge Jesus’ counsellor – Sergio – brought him into the role of an assessor.

Sergio’s impact on Raimundo has been profound, even leading into Saturday night’s Isuzu UTE A-League Grand Final against Melbourne City.

“I wrote to him the other day saying this final is from all the club but also yours, you also have a bit on it,” he said.

“I still consider him a mentor. Someone who spoke a lot about life and about how things are in life, the choices you make, how people feel and that football is a human activity rather than a technical activity.

“Somebody who changed my way of seeing training and someone who changed Mourinho’s way of seeing training. So he is someone special.”

“Without speaking about football, he taught me the most about football than anyone else in football,” Raimundo, who said Mourinho has always been his main reference point in coaching before joining forces with Nick Montgomery in Gosford, added.

“He tells you things like the psychologist, he is talking to people but he is also doing science while he is talking. So you don’t only need to do measure the stats and things you count, sometimes a word can also be as important. Just cause you can’t measure it properly and the impact it has, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t count as much as the stat of 10 shots and five on target for example.”

He continued: “Manuel used to tell me different things of what the media used to come up with for (Mourinho). He is a nice guy. He is tough and ruthless, but he is a good person.

“Manuel always said you’d enjoy you a dinner or lunch with him. He is somebody very quiet. I always looked at him – how he reacted to media, how he prepared the teams, his training.

“(He was) no.1 at the time and now Nick for the mindset and all the pathway we’ve done together. “

A unique pathway to coaching

Raimundo has been at the heart of an incredible Mariners journey, alongside head coach Montgomery.

But his pathway to coaching was unique. Yes, he started early – at the age of around 21, having stopped playing at 17. Also a talented athlete, he joined the navy and spent three years with the special forces.

Ricardo Quaresma used to pop into the neighbourhood to play football. Luis Figo wasn’t far away either. But Raimundo grew up in a rough area of Lisbon. Most of his friends chose the wrong path and ended up arrested. His time with the special forces shaped his life.

“I went to school and finished school. I wanted to go sports university at the time but I missed the deadline,” he recalled. “It’s like you grow up alone. My parents couldn’t really help me or guide me in saying you need to do pre-requisites in January. I had to find everything on my own and I missed the deadline.

“I had some guys in my area who had been there. I was always a guy who was very competitive and tried to be the best in whatever you do. I wanted to do test myself mentally and see what’s the difference. How far can the human mind go and how far can your body go in terms of training? I got in the adventure.

“It’s a six-month course where you go through very tough training. On the last day, I actually thought I’ve made the training so I’m happy. I’ve made my six months. I was in doubt whether I should leave and go university now or should I stay? I ended up staying two more years.

“I’ve done it all, lets get my cap because you get a special cap there. Then I ended up going to uni. Honestly, it was testing myself physically and mentality to the limits that they could take me to. I learnt a lot about human behaviour and the human limits.”

Raimundo (L) and Montgomery during the 2022-23 season.

Raimundo’s experience with the navy is a reason why he and Montgomery have formed such a strong connection.

“Nick is someone very much of the same mindset. He was never in the army but he could’ve been because his family background is from the army. His father was there and he’s very disciplined,” he said.

“Everything put us together and combining into a moment – the knowledge, his experience as a pro footballer. That’s why we’re pushing the boys here to their best. Physically but almost mentally. That’s why they’re so strong. We can go 1-0, 2-0, 3-0 down… it doesn’t matter because we believe we can score one more than the opponent.

“There’s a massive correlation between our experiences and knowledge.”

Working with Silva & Cancelo at Benfica

After serving in the navy, Raimundo went to university in Lisbon, where Mourinho, Carlos Queiroz and that generation of top Portuguese coaches studied.

From there, he went on to join Benfica in 2008 – initially working with very young kids from the ages of five, six, seven, eight and nine.

“There was big players at the time,” Raimundo recalled. “One that is now on a great trend is Jota from Celtic. He was in the age rank above the one I was coaching. There was many players that made it from that youth setup, which is quite special in terms of methodology.”

During his time at Benfica, the senior team boasted the likes of Pablo Aimar, Javier Saviola, David Luiz, Angel Di Maria, Fabio Coentrao, Julio Cesar, Nuno Gomes, Oscar Cardozo and even a young Nemanja Matic.

“Me and Miguel (Miranda who is now part of Central Coast’s staff), we were together at the time. Because there was no U23s or reserves, we used to play the U19s against the first team,” said former U19 assistant Raimundo.

“Sometimes the ones coming back from injury or didn’t have enough minutes on the weekend, and many times there was Saviola, Aimar, Matic, Julio Cesar, so many stars. It was amazing to test themselves against them.”

“I have coached some players but those guys coached me as a coach to be honest, I learnt more with them at that time than maybe they did with me. You find out about the social aspect of a team – how to belong, how to work for the team, how to be accepted into a team because if they don’t accept you as a coach, a trialist or another player you don’t have a place on the team. It’s a very competitive environment.

From an U19 point of view, Raimundo was able to work with Portuguese pair Bernardo Silva and Joao Cancelo, who have gone on to enjoy great success with Portugal and Manchester City.

Silva also won Ligue 1 with Monaco having won titles at Benfica, while Cancelo has claimed Serie A and Bundesliga trophies in Italy and Germany.

“From the time we and Miguel were there, in our squad was Bernardo Silva, Joao Cancelo, Andre Gomes, Ivan Cavaleiro,” he said.

“I have coached some players but those guys coached me as a coach to be honest. I learnt more with them at that time than maybe they did with me. You find out about the social aspect of a team – how to belong, how to work for the team, how to be accepted into a team because if they don’t accept you as a coach, a trialist or another player you don’t have a place on the team. It’s a very competitive environment.”

After taking his first steps at Benfica, a move to Senegal followed and it’s at Etoile Lusitana where Raimundo enjoyed one of his finest moments.

Lusitana made history in 2013 by becoming the first African team ever to win the 37º Trofeo ‘Angelo Dossena’ – an U19 tournament in Italy against teams like AC Milan – who had Bryan Cristante as captain, Atalanta, Bologna, Brescia and Chievo Verona.

Raimundo was named coach of the tournament.

“It was very rewarding. There were a couple of transfers too – some boys went to Europe on the back of that,” he said. “It was just amazing to make history like that.

“In that game against AC Milan, it was our third game. During that tournament, Milan brought 30 players and they were playing with young kids. By the last game, they brought the best ones because their results weren’t good.

“In that game, I honestly sat on the bench and thought oh my god. This could be five or six against us. But we played and we believed. We always pass positivity. They scored and then we scored two. The players came and asked me, can we do this or that. I was just like yeah, whatever you boys feel. They actually managed it from the inside.

“It’s positive they can come to you and ask you. I actually let them adapt to what they were feeling. It was unbelievable. Then the semi-final and final, it was normal games. But that Milan game is one I’ll always think about forever.”

Started from the bottom, now the Mariners are here

Raimundo first met Montgomery during a coaching course in Belfast, where the likes of Harry Kewell, Gaizka Mendieta and Benni McCarthy were also undertaking their badges.

The pair had kept in touch and eventually united at the Mariners.

“We had a bag of balls on the pitch. It’s where they walk the dogs. They said, looks there’s this piece of grass and those bag of balls, go out and do it,” Raimundo remembered.

Raimundo was Montgomery’s right-hand man with the Mariners’ academy team at a time when the senior side were languishing at the foot of the Isuzu UTE A-League standings.

From the start, the duo placed an emphasis on youth with one very clear message – to believe.

That is why the youthful Mariners are through to their first Grand Final in a decade, and why Raimundo feels the future is bright for Australia and the Socceroos.

“We believed already. That’s the hard part – you believe when no one else does. If we said this in 2019, you probably say we are crazy. It’s fantastic,” he said, having made the move up to the senior side with Montgomery in 2021-22.

“I think people are very critical of football in Australia. They said it’s not good. I don’t agree. I think it’s very good. It can be better. What the boys lacked at the start was belief. They didn’t believe they could get to the level of some players.

“I remember seeing Max Balard if you ask him. I told him, this was our second year in the academy, the academy boys with a view more visas and local players, can challenge to win the A-League. Nowadays, Maxy comes and says we’re in the final, you were right.

“We started with a very amateur setup, but we built departments and brought good people in. Created departments that didn’t exist. It’s more than just a piece of land. It’s what you create and the belief. How you can inspire and how you can believe you can beat others.

“The belief grew around the club. We started winning things. We won the U20s, the first grade in NPL. Last season we went to the final of the Australia Cup. It’s four finals since 2019 in May that we started.

“If Australians believe and work for it, and work well. You can’t do it if you don’t work with quality. You can be challenging for big things in a few years from now, but you have to believe.

“You have to get players moving around Europe. They will be the future of the Socceroos and maybe one day challenging for a World Cup final for example. I believe. Maybe if you say that, Australians are the first ones to say it’s not possible or it’s too hard.

“I don’t think it’s too hard. I always believe with work, the Australians have a big heart. They work hard, they listen, they’re very smart. They just need good guidance and belief. Maybe you can challenge for big things in the future, but you need to believe.”

Sergio’s big vision

For Raimundo and the Mariners, however, their work goes beyond the Central Coast.

It’s about not only growing the competition but developing the “Socceroos of tomorrow”.

Garang Kuol (Newcastle United) and Kye Rowles (Hearts) have all moved to Europe in the past year. Lewis Miller (Hibernian) also made the switch abroad via Macarthur FC, though he never played for the Bulls after signing a pre-contract agreement.

Central Coast have continued to invest in youth, bringing in Nectar Triantis to compliment academy products Jacob Farrell, Josh Nisbet, Max Balard and Harrison Steele, while sprinkling the squad with foreigners and players like Jason Cummings, Marco Tulio and Brian Kaltak.

“For every player that gets a contract here, from the academy, we’re so happy. Even from other clubs. When Nectar Triantis came, he got his contract and he has been outstanding the whole season,” Raimundo said.

“We’re so proud of what we work with. To go for better, better contracts, get to finals and success in their careers. We endorse growth a lot. Sometimes if you don’t have a contract with us and someone else offers it, we are going to be happy because we can’t give it to you.

“This is the most important. We’re very proud but we’re even more proud the culture became endorsing everyone’s dreams. If we’re endorsing everyone’s evolution in their careers.

“We’re not selfish. We just don’t think about ourselves. We’re not only helping the league, we’re helping the country. The boys are going to good things in Europe. They will be the Socceroos of tomorrow.

“Triantis, Farrell, Ballard, Nisbet, (Sam) Silvera, even (Christian) Theoharous. They can be the Socceroos of tomorrow. Nick believes in the boys. They know they will make mistakes but we also know we’re working on a bigger picture than just our belly.

“We’re working on our country, league exposure. We believe if the league grows, the country grows. We also grow as coaches, even our value as coaches grow and the same for players. It’s positive growth mindset.”