Sporting President Frederico Varandas is demanding even greater success for the Lisbon-based football club, declaring that a recent double trophy win in the 2024/25 season is “not enough.”
Varandas articulated this relentless ambition in a new documentary, “The Winner Takes It All,” released on Thursday. The film offers an inside look at the club’s challenging yet triumphant season that saw them clinch both the league championship and the Portuguese Cup.
“It’s true that we won many titles but it’s not enough,” Varandas stated in the documentary. “We want more. The players want more. The coach wants more. The fans want more.”
He emphasized a commitment to continuous improvement. “Will we always win? No. But each time we will win more,” he added.
The president recalled telling his players during the season, “We were champions last year, this year we are already champions. Tell me one thing, is it enough? No. This year we are going to leave Jamor with everything.” This statement, he noted, became the internal motto for their celebrations: “the winner takes it all.”
The documentary chronicles a season marked by significant internal changes, which Varandas described as “stress tests” for the club.
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One major transition was the departure of coach Ruben Amorim to Manchester United. Varandas acknowledged that Amorim’s decision was understandable, noting that “90% of coaches – perhaps more – would have accepted the invitation.”
Varandas recounted a conversation where Amorim informed him of his decision. He simply told the coach, “Amorim, get up, it’s done.” Varandas spoke of Amorim’s happiness at Sporting and his historical significance to the club.
The period following Amorim’s exit and the brief tenure of interim coach João Pereira was particularly difficult. Varandas admitted that Pereira “suffered a lot” due to the team’s “mourning” for Amorim and the club’s failure to allow them to process the change.
He said the entire group felt a “weight on their conscience” when Pereira eventually left.
The club president then made the critical decision to bring in Rui Borges. Varandas recalled Borges’s direct challenge to the squad upon arrival: “Do you want to be champions or not?”
The season also saw the departure of Sporting Director Hugo Viana, who left for Manchester City after the winter transfer window. Varandas explained this move was for Viana’s personal reasons and had been in the works for two years, with both Viana and Manchester City keeping him informed.
Despite the timing being “difficult” for the squad, Varandas saw no negative in Viana’s progression to “one of the best clubs in the world.”
He noted that the club had prepared for this by selecting Bernardo as Viana’s successor. Bernardo and Flávio Costa executed “spectacular work” in their new roles starting in February.
Varandas also reflected on the resilience of Sporting, mentioning key players like Viktor, Pote, Trincão, Inácio, Diomande, Quaresma, and goalkeeper Rui Silva. He stated that the Sporting he grew up with would have found it “impossible to resist these adversities.”
He highlighted the unprecedented nature of a major Portuguese club losing its coach mid-season for non-dismissal reasons, then a new coach struggling, and a sporting director also departing. This, he concluded, shows Sporting’s strength.