Paulo Bento, the seasoned Portuguese football coach, recently said "no thank you" to an offer from the Uzbekistan national team. The news comes after a surprising turn of events in March, when Bento was let go from his coaching role with the United Arab Emirates. He had actually achieved the second-best results of any coach in their history, making his departure quite unexpected.
Our sources at Record confirm that Bento, who is 56 years old, carefully considered the proposal from Uzbekistan. However, he ultimately felt that the necessary conditions weren’t quite in place for him to take on that particular project. He’s a coach who knows what he needs to succeed, and he wasn’t going to settle for anything less.
Right now, many national teams are battling it out for a spot in the 2026 World Cup. Bento remains on the market, looking for the perfect opportunity to jump back into the game. His ideal next step would involve a path to that global tournament, which will be held across Canada, the United States, and Mexico. He wants to ensure his return to coaching aligns with his ambitions.
It’s worth remembering that Bento has already led teams to two World Cups. He guided Portugal in 2014 and then took South Korea to the big stage in 2022. He’s clearly looking for a third trip to football’s greatest show. In fact, he left the United Arab Emirates team in a very strong position to qualify for the next World Cup before his dismissal.