Some coaches arrive hoping for a good season. Others, like Cassiano Klein, aim to carve their name into a club’s history. The Benfica futsal coach openly speaks of his dream to “leave a mark” at the famous Lisbon club. This ambition comes fresh off a national championship win for the 2024/2025 season.
Klein sees his role as more than just coaching. “I believe it’s a big dream to arrive and deliver great work,” he told the Lusa Agency in a recent interview. He added, “At a club like Benfica, delivering great work means leaving your mark.” He focuses on loyalty, commitment, and hard effort. He believes these are the true paths to winning.
The Brazilian coach led his team to a thrilling victory. They faced Sporting in the national playoff final. Sporting had won the title five times in a row. Benfica beat them 4-3 in the deciding game, played at Sporting’s own João Rocha Pavilion. This win sealed the best-of-five series 3-2 for Benfica, letting them lift the trophy. Klein felt getting “very strong to the decisive game” was key to their success.
Winning a title can make some people relax. But Klein is already looking ahead. He wants his team to keep winning in the upcoming season. He shared his thoughts on true growth in sports. “If you win a game and are happy with the praise, you won’t grow,” he explained. He believes focusing on either praise or criticism stops progress.
Klein champions a different path. “The great virtue, in my humble opinion, is for a team to be measured by its work,” he noted. He feels hard work should motivate even more hard work. He sees himself as building on what came before him. “When you take a team that was already well-coached, you can make it even better,” he said. This approach, he thinks, was a big reason for their win.
This championship was special in another way. Cassiano Klein became the first foreign coach to win a Portuguese futsal title in 17 years. The last ones were fellow Brazilians Adil Amarante and Beto Aranha back in 2007/2008. Klein humbly shares the credit for this success. He gives a “doubtless” big share of the national title to those who coached before him.
He often speaks of continuing the work of others. “In every team or national squad in the world, you always take someone else’s work and keep it going,” he explained. He likes a saying: “standing on the shoulders of giants.” He believes that by standing on the shoulders of tall people, you can see more. This philosophy helped him win the national championship in his very first season.
Now, as national champions, Benfica will return to the Champions League. They missed the competition in 2024/2025. Klein, a 42-year-old coach with strong international experience, is clearly excited. “I see it as an incredible competition,” he said. “We had a big desire to return.” He knows it will be tough. “There are several high-level teams that will be fighting for this title,” he admitted.