Esperance de Tunis manager Miguel Cardoso has claimed that beating Mamelodi Sundowns in the CAF Champions League semi-finals is the greatest achievement of his managerial career, even greater than coaching against Barcelona.
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The well-travelled 51-year-old took another step towards the summit of African football on Friday night, when his Blood and Gold charges were able to come away from Loftus Versfeld with a historic 1-0 victory.
With that match being only his 10th in charge of the Tunisian giants, the Famalicao native has insisted the win over Masandawana supersedes all his other managerial accomplishments, despite having previously coached in the Primeira Liga, LALIGA, Ligue 1 and the UEFA Europa League.
"As a head coach, no doubt this is my biggest achievement," the Portuguese tactician told members of the media during a post-match press conference.
"Because sometimes you don't have the chance to be in the right teams who can lead you to fight for something big.
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"Not every team plays to win, so sometimes your achievements don't have the face of trophies or titles. So, sometimes winning games is quite the achievement for some of the teams where you have passed.
"I don't forget where I came from. I started 20 something years ago in FC Porto's youth team, I made my first steps over there with a lot of people I respect immensely.
"I've had highs and I've had lows, but I try to keep myself stable through them all because, as I said before, I know that my family is there and that's what you need in order to progress. Honour your values, your family, and enjoy the process.
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"I'll tell you, I've already coached in the Camp Nou against Barcelona, but I don't remember it because I was too concerned about what was happening on the pitch, even the days leading up to the game I don’t remember, and that is something I've changed a little bit."
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