Portuguese football manager Paulo Fonseca has voiced a belief that he and his compatriots are significantly more valued coaching abroad than within their home country, despite their consistent success in Europe’s top leagues. Fonseca, currently managing French club Lyon, stated his intention is to continue his career outside Portugal, citing a perceived lack of appreciation for Portuguese coaching talent at home.
“I feel much more valued abroad than in Portugal,” Fonseca, 52, told Record magazine on the sidelines of the Portugal Football Summit. He added that a return to Portugal is “not part of my career project in the near future.”
Fonseca argued that Portugal underappreciates the number of its coaches working in elite European championships, including those in England, France, Germany, and Italy. He noted that few other countries boast such a presence.
He specifically mentioned Portuguese coaches working in England who have done “excellent work” but receive “little value” or recognition in Portugal. “What is promoted regarding our work in Portugal is scarce,” Fonseca said, expressing the same sentiment about his own career.
Fonseca’s coaching career has included stints at French club Lille, Italian club Roma, and Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk before joining Lyon. He said he intends to remain in France for several years to build a strong team.
While Fonseca previously expressed a desire to manage in the Premier League, he now considers that goal less urgent. “I don’t think much about it at the moment,” he stated, adding that he feels “very well at Lyon.”
He confirmed receiving “various approaches” for Premier League jobs over the years. However, Fonseca indicated he prefers coaching a club in France that consistently competes for titles, offering more opportunities to win, rather than taking a role in the Premier League where victories might be less frequent.