Given all the quality and ability that Portuguese managers are known for, we have compatriots scattered all over the world: from 'nuestros hermanos' in Espanha to some islands where football also exists: Maldivas (turns out it's not just beaches….).
We decided to travel on to Noruega, to find out more about this Armchair Coach (and more!) who has just had a season above expectations with the Junior Team from Vaulen IL: João Prates.
He left Portugal heading to Arábia Saudita, where he spent three seasons and did excellent work with the youth setup and B team, before deciding to swap Saudi Arabia's scorching heat for freezing Norway to embrace a new adventure in the Junior Team from Vaulen IL. Join us on the journey!
FMPortugal.net: How did you first come across CM/FM, and how did you end up as another one 'hooked' on the game?
João Prates: It was through friends!… and I confess I ended up joining in because I wasn't any good at playing PlayStation (laughs). The other thing that hooked me was the strategic side of the game: for a manager, that's something fascinating that makes everything more interesting.
FMPortugal.net: What kind of virtual manager are you: do you start each new save at a 'big club' or 'giant' and try to dominate the national and international scene, or do you prefer a lower-division team and fight year after year for success on a global level?
João Prates: It depends on my mood, but I always have three options: managing Benfica is mandatory (laughs); taking over whichever team I'm currently coaching in real life; and lastly, starting at Farense, which is my second club, along with Campomaiorense, who no longer have a senior team. I like to feel a connection with the teams.
FMPortugal.net: What was your reaction when you realised you'd officially been added to the game? From then on, when you start a new savesave, do you always bring your 'character' along to the club you go to?
João Prates: Honestly, I don't pay much attention to myself ‘in-game' (laughs). I find it funny, and it's also a result of what you achieve in your real professional career, so in the game I just let him develop on his own.
FMPortugal.net: Have you ever won everything there was to win with a team? What's your greatest achievement and which club did you do it with?
João Prates: I had a stunning season that ended up… becoming European champion with Benfica! (laughs)
FMPortugal.net: Have you ever played CM/FM with fellow professionals and/or players you've worked with? J.P: Funnily enough, no! We just chat and exchange info about young players, and I always ask them how many times they've lost matches and restarted… (laughs)
João Prates: Funnily enough, no! We just chat and exchange info about young players, and I always ask them how many times they've lost matches and restarted… (laughs)
FMPortugal.net: Lastly, setting 'virtual reality' aside for a moment, you've been abroad since the 2015/2016 season: you spent three seasons in Saudi Arabia (Hajer Club and Al-Batin) and are currently at Vaulen IL in Norway. What were the main differences you felt in each country compared to Portugal?
João Prates: Loads! Arábia Saudita it's the extreme heat, the culture, the religion, such simple things but that change everything once you actually live them: it's the need to adapt to a completely different country, which at the same time is a challenge that helps you grow because of how different that whole experience is from Portugal.
Noruega it's a 'normal' country where I don't have to worry about whether I can wear shorts somewhere, or whether a restaurant is family-friendly or women-only (laughs).
It's terribly cold — the opposite of Arabia (laughs) — and people are colder too, so as strange as it may sound, it's actually much easier to make friends in Arabia!
In football terms, there's more technical and tactical quality in Arabia, thanks to the many foreign coaches there. As for Noruega there's more physical quality, even though technically they also have players of decent quality. Tactically though, they need big changes, especially in youth football, where the work being done there still falls well short of what's required for a more professional level of football.
Quick Questions:
First edition you played?
A: 2009
Favourite edition?
A: Always the latest one (laughs)
Favourite league to play in?
A: Portuguese
Favourite team to play as?
A: Benfica
Man-marking or zonal marking?
A: Zonal
Thank you very much for your time and openness in giving us this interview from the start. It's an absolute pleasure talking to yet another Portuguese manager so successful abroad. Now that the season is almost over in Norway, we hope your new adventure with Vaulen IL's senior team is as successful as your recent seasons have been. We'll keep following your career here, wishing you huge success!
