“If we look at this squad, almost all of them are managers,” Sabrosa said in an interview, looking back at his playing time at the Los Cules.
Luis Figo was my idol
Simao Sabrosa joined the Barcelona team in 1999 that included superstar members such as Rivaldo, Pep Guardiola, and Luis Figo. Still, such as the competition for places that he had to be patient with playing time. The retired winger eventually left Camp Nou in 2001 and returned to Portugal with Benfica before returning to Spain to perform for Atletico de Madrid and Espanyol. “If we look at this squad, almost all of them are managers,” Sabrosa said in an interview, looking back at his playing time at the Los Cules. “Playing with Luis Figo, my big icon was great. I had to stand by until they were suspended away or were tired.”
Guardiola was already thinking like a coach in his playing days
Sabrosa believes that Pep was already thinking like a manager in his days of play. “He already had a tactical touch,” he revealed. “He took a sheet of paper and told me what moves I should make without a ball”. There was a joke about which Simao recalled from those years. “On the plane, I was sitting between Figo and Guardiola, and he already had football books, many books about golf… ‘May I talk?’ I thought between the two of them. “Fast forward to 2020, and Sabrosa is excited about the future of Joao Felix at Atlético.” He can win the Ballon d’Or. He has it all, “Simao admitted.” He’s going through the adjustment phase, and it’s not easy. “Atletico’s way of playing is different from Benfica, and the first few months were not easy. “The fans want goals, but he does not score.
“I know that Joao is probably always worth replacing, but he takes the opportunity to win and thinks about the team.” It should always be fresh to Diego Simeone.”