André Villas-Boas is a candidate for Porto’s presidency, using his managerial record, at clubs like Porto, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur as examples of his record in football.
His time at Spurs was now recalled in an interview given by former midfielder Sandro Ranieri, who spoke to the Portuguese media.
Interviewed by Final Cut, the Brazilian sent some praises towards Villas-Boas but also hinted at issues in Tottenham training. The quotes are brought by O Jogo.
“André Villas-Boas? Good coach. The best phase of my career was with him. I have a lot to thank him for, because I was already doing well with Harry Redknapp, but with Villas-Boas, I don’t know, if it’s because he’s Portuguese, or because he gave me that confidence.
“And I was also there to help him with training issues, that feedback. I gave Villas-Boas a lot of feedback. Positive, negative, that sort of thing. [Villas-Boas would ask] ‘Why aren’t you doing these training sessions well?’ [Sandro would reply] ‘Oh, come on, mate, and all that. These training sessions are a bit like that…’. So I felt cherished by him.”
Sandro spent four years at Tottenham. They were his first club in Europe, joining them in a €10m move from Internacional in the summer of 2010.
He stayed until 2014, when he left for Queens Park Rangers in a €7.5m move. Playing for Spurs, he made 106 appearances. Sandro also featured for QPR, West Bromwich Albion, Antalyaspor, Benevento, Genoa, Udinese, Goiás and B SAD until retiring in 2022.
As for Villas-Boas, he was in charge of the North London side between July 2012 and December 2013. In 80 matches there, he had 45 wins, 18 draws and 17 losses. He then worked at Zenit, SH SIPG and Marseille, and could soon become Porto’s new president if he wins the elections.
