Former Chelsea player Juliano Belletti is about to become a manager. The 43-year-old has been interviewed by ESPN Brasil this Tuesday, and revealed that he should soon start his new career.
The former right-back had a big career, succeeding for the likes of Valencia, Barcelona and the Blues in Europe, where he’s worked with some of the greatest managers of his generation.
So he was asked about who were the managers to have the biggest influence on the boss he’s about to become, and he listed a few, especially from his time at Chelsea.
“Mourinho’s group management, his training method. Mourinho doesn’t repeat training. And he does every practice thinking about the next game. You don’t realise. Then in the lecture, which lasts three minutes, he says: ‘Remember the training? It’s today, ok? from 15 minutes on, they will do this and we will do what we did in training.’
“Then there was Guus Hiddink. This one is impressive. In both group management and game reading. The way he talks in the locker room with players like Ballack, Lampard or Drogba. How he gives information or how he scolds these guys.”
“Even Ancelotti. With Ancelotti it was interesting that I met him now. Barcelona faced Napoli in Miami and Detroit. I was with Barcelona, I am a club ambassador, I do some institutional events. After the game I was in the hallway where there are players, press and such. Ancelotti was coming talking on the phone. I was in front of Barca’s locker room. He saw me, hung up the phone came to talk to me.”
“I worked with him a whole Chelsea season, right. We were champions of the Premier League and champions of the FA Cup and with him I played as defensive midfielder, right midfielder, right back and right winger.
“He came, greeted me and said: ‘Hey Beletti, have you become a manager already?’
I said: ‘No, Carlos, I’m still calm, I’m a club ambassador, I’m an entrepreneur in Brazil, I give many lectures.’
“Then he said: ‘you’re wasting time. You are the one who most helped me tactically on the pitch.'”
Belletti joined Chelsea on a €5m deal from Barcelona in the summer of 2007. He stayed at the Stamford Bridge for three seasons until being released to Fluminense on a free deal. In his time with the Blues, he won a Premier League, two FA Cups and a Community Shield.
