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Eight things to know about Paulo Bento, the UAE football team's new manager

Born in Lisbon, Bento has an enviable resume, having served as the Portugal national team’s manager as well as the manager of South Korea

Portugal’s Paulo Bento is the new manager of the UAE national football team. The announcement was made by the UAE Football Association in Dubai on Sunday. Born in Lisbon on June 20, 1969, Bento has an enviable resume with managerial stints in club sides such as Sporting in Portugal and Olympiacos in Greece. He also served as the Portugal national team’s manager between 2010 and 2014. Bento was also the manager of South Korea from 2018 to 2022. As Bento takes up a new challenge, we take a look at his journey.

1. According to news agency Reuters, Bento is the son of a restaurant owner, and he served tables as a teenager. Bento began his playing career in 1989 at the heart of the midfield of Portuguese club Estrela da Amadora. He went on to feature for teams such as Benfica and Sporting CP in his home country, and Real Oviedo in Spain. He represented the Portuguese national side 35 times.

2. Bento was banned for six months for conduct towards the referee after his team lost in the semi-finals of the Euro 2000 against France. Bento retired from the Portuguese national side after playing at the 2002 South Korea-Japan World Cup.

3. Following his retirement, Bento ventured into coaching. He started with the youth team at Sporting and took over the reins of the senior team after Jose Peseiro quit in October 2005. Bento helped the Portuguese outfit in securing a Champions League qualification in the 2005-06 season. He was at the helm of affairs in Sporting for four seasons (till November 2009) and won two Portuguese Cups with the side.

4. He was appointed head coach of the Portuguese national side in 2010. Portugal, under Bento’s guidance, reached the semi-finals of the Euros in 2012. In the last-four stage of Euro 2012, Portugal were defeated by eventual champions Spain on penalties.

5. Both Bento and Portugal had a bad campaign at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. The Portugal team, featuring big names such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Pepe and Nani, could not qualify for the knockouts. Bento’s tenure as Portugal's head coach came to an end in September 2014. He left after losing to Albania in a Euro 2016 qualifier.

6. In May 2016, Bento took charge of Brazil’s Cruzeiro. His first managerial stint abroad lasted for just two months and he quit in July. By August, he took charge of the Greek side Olympiacos and stayed there till March 2017.

7. By December 2017, he was appointed head coach of Chinese Super League side Chongqing Lifan. He stayed in China till July 2018.

8. In August 2018, Bento was named South Korea's head coach. In 2019, the team won the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Championship (East Asian Cup). At the Qatar World Cup, Bento’s South Korea reached the round of 16 where they were defeated 1-4 by five-time champions Brazil. He quit later that year, saying that he needed a break.

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