Fininho who knew only one club as a player and who led the Seleção to one feat – Observer

As a player, he was one of the symbols of V. Setúbal, a club in which he wore the captain's armband for many years, being the only professional team in a growing case rare in football. On the field, he won two titles: the U-20 World Championship, serving Portugal, in 1989; and a Portuguese Cup, in the last season with the sadinos pull, in 2004/05; as a coach, has already made three victories in the National Teams Command with history starting in 2015, when he led the U17 team to win the international tournament FA before 2016 Champion of Europe at the same level. The last gold page of the Hélio Sousa program emerged last Sunday when he took U19 training to the European Championship, being the first time that a team wins the two Europeans in the same generational cycle

The first kicks in the balloon date back to the year 1980, when he began his training in the modest Brejos de Azeitão. With Palmela Castle on the horizon, Hélio Sousa grew up in Reboreda, Setúbal, and he took a liking to football. The taste turned into love and, after capturing Bonfim, the current Under-19 European Champion was installed in Vitória, establishing a liaison that will last close to 39, a quarter of a century Bonfim arrives at about 12 years old and in the sadinos the training trial ends, playing until the juniors and, one year in advance, eventually integrate the senior team from the entire Sado, in the 1987/88 season

In the first two seasons of the sadino emblem, Hélio Sousa made 19 matches and guarantees a place in the elected by Carlos Queiroz for the World Cup in Saudi Arabia at the 39 Summer 1989. Along with names such as Fernando Couto, João Vieira Pinto, Paulo Sousa and Jorge Couto, Hélio Sousa becomes cham pion of the world which is a historical achievement for the national colors (two years later, still with Carlos Queiroz at the controls, Portugal becomes twice world champion under 20 years in Lisbon, with a generation that included, among others, Rui Costa, Luís Figo, Jorge Costa or Peixe) [19659005] Returning to Setúbal, he earned a nickname that accompanied him throughout his career: Fininho. The origin comes from its physical constitution, apparently fragile and lean, and was given by the older elements of the sadino campus of then. After the World Cup, Hélio Sousa wins his space in the main team of Sadina and begins to take a midfield that will be his natural habitat for many years . The midfielder unites, acquires experience and status in the Bonfim and, of course, the captain's armband finds a new home in his left arm. In the national championship, the inevitable fate of Vitória was almost always to fight for the interview, with some small comics in the middle, but without great assumptions to the titles of amealhar; in the cups, fate finally smiles on Helio, with a feat that will prove almost a reward for the career in the service of the sadinos. It was in the last season of the midfielder as a professional player in 2004/05 that José Rachão's Vitória made a remarkable campaign in the Portuguese Cup, eventually winning the Benfica champion a week earlier in the final from Jamor 2-1. Hélio Sousa did not even leave the bench in this match, but the only title in the service of Vitória ended up closing with a golden key a career of player who was 25 years old .

In all, there were more than 300 games with the V jersey. Setúbal, 49 internationals between the U16, 18, U20, U21 and AA, a U-20 world champion title and a U-18 U-18 European championship by Portugal and a cup in the service of Sado club. More than enough career for, combined with the personality and abilities of Hélio Sousa, give way to a successful course as a coach. "Helio is part of the group of players who always saw that the career was not going to be an office worker or a bank employee, but rather a coach, and he is there. he did not need to speak to be heard by his comrades because they had a lot of respect for him, "said Carlos Cardoso, Sadino's middle coach in Vitória, before being his assistant in the technical control of the Victorian formation. that they reach the position of captain is because coaches see that they have certain features to exploit. The choice of the captain was always made knowing that the player was wanted by the associative mass and that everyone already saw in him a captain who could give a trainer ", explains in statements to the site Bench.

Also Chumbita Nunes, president of the sadinos between 2003 and 2006, was the apologist for the coach version of Helio Sousa. "I understood that he could have a coaching profile. I invited him for the first time. I invited him because he had been a player and had a good relationship with his former colleagues. That's where it started, "said the former president of Sadino, who appointed Hélio in 2005/06 as the club's replacement, replacing Luís Norton de Matos. The first season went well V. Setúbal reached the Jamor final, almost resuming a historic performance, but was beaten at the last meeting of FC Porto In the season next, Helio 's luck was no longer the best and the coach would eventually leave the club at the end of four games, one of them the Super Cup lost to the Dragons De Setúbal, he went to Covilhã, where he directed the local Sporting, but only for five matches, before returning to the Portuguese Football Federation, where he had graduated early in his career

And that is in 2010 that arrives at the command of a National Selection, the Sub-18 to be more concrete. Helio Sousa's career began in the Federation, winning a new successful course in 2015, with the arrival at the helm of the U17 team formed primarily by the talented generation of 1999. Quickly, Portugal wins the International Tournament FA in August 2015, before what would be Helio's first major achievement as a coach: European Under-17 champion title . Portugal came to Azerbaijan to play the group with the selection of the house, along with Belgium and Scotland. The men of Helio Sousa finished at the top of the group and, until the final where they beat Spain on penalties, they beat Austria (2-0) and the Netherlands (2-0).

A year later, still with Helio Sousa at the helm, Portugal reached the final of the U19 European Championship, where he was beaten by England for the first time. The first golden page of a generation promised not to be there. 2-1. Before, in 2014, the national team had already participated in the last meeting of the European, but Germany had taken the best (1-0). This year, Portugal would reach the third under-19 final in five years, the second in a row. But the story would be different : after a group stage where they beat Norway (3-1) and Finland (3-0), having lost only against Italy (3-2), Portugal was beaten by Ukraine 5-0 in the last half of the race, before coming back to measure the forces with the whole transalpine, invincible until then . At the decisive meeting, Portugal was twice in advantage, could not hold it, but the third was once and the 4-3 signed by Pedro Correia marked the European Under-19 title for the # 39th National Team . In the end, Hélio Sousa spoke about the importance of the life cycle with a group of players who has been accompanying him since 2015 and who can guess a promising future: "The consequence of what we have done in these five final, "he said. is to have created a unique moment for Portugal, for this particular generation. "We are very honored to represent Portugal in these events," said the coach, adding: "It's a generation that has a lot of quality, we also need a lot of clubs to invest in the world." infrastructure and human resources to help these players evolve, to be stronger, and we have been an ideal partner to stimulate and develop their skills, giving them the best competitions so that we see each generation go through one or two players to the team A. These are our

Hélio Sousa has not forgotten the work done by his predecessors and the rest of the country, in the middle of the airport Humberto Delgado and with Hundreds of Portuguese in euphoria.Structure that makes up the technical teams of the different national teams.It is in fact a close and lasting relationship, since many technicians who currently ran Portuguese coaching were world champions in 1989 or 1991, with Carlos Queiroz. In addition to Hélio Sousa (U19), Filipe Ramos (U15), Emílio Peixe (U16) and Rui Bento (U17) know what it is to win as a player and the knowledge for present generations

"This has been a very hard work developed over the years and we have had an excellent group of extraordinary players who have been available to learn and therefore continue to evolve and develop a game identity. We have made history with this generation, unique in Europe, "said the champion of Europe, highlighting the work done in recent years:" There is no secret in particular. In the last nine years, ten years of work during which we developed this identity with this group of coaches is the third time we are in the final. In the other two times, we had all conditions: excellent players rs and some who already represent the national team. "

Upon his arrival in Portugal, Hélio Sousa reinforced the pride of his players and the work he has accomplished in recent years (Global Images)

Asked about the future and a possible position in the national team A, Hélio Sousa has not hesitated and kept his feet on the ground. "My future is the immediate. It's a huge pleasure to be in this space. It is with great pleasure that I accepted the invitation nine years ago to work for the national teams. It is the feeling of being able to make what the federation has done for 30 years, that Professor Carlos Queiroz, Professor Nelo Vingada and many others have given us: this love and I 'd like to say. likes to represent Portugal . We pass on the values ​​we have been given in the past. "

With European titles in U17 and U19, it is expected that Hélio Sousa will continue the work with this group of players, thus guiding the U-20 World Cup team that will be present at the World Cup in Poland in 2014. The sadino coach, who has already equaled António Volante with two titles serving Portugal (Under-16 European Championship in 2000 and, in 2003) , will attempt to reach a level only occupied by Carlos Queiroz (twice under-20 world champion in 1989 and 1991 and under-16 European champion in 1989) and Agostinho Oliveira (World Championship). Europe under 18 in 1994 and 1999, and Syb-16 in 1996), with three titles under the command of national selection. And this generation of 1999 seems to have everything to continue writing the letters of Gold of Portuguese history in the world of football

Read more