The interviewee of the week is the coach Jorge Gonçalves. He's 36 years old and is also responsible for the Benfica Vila Nova de Gaia Football School in Portugal. 

1# Why did you choose to be a football coach? Why youth football?
JG - For many years I was a professional footballer and as such just before finishing my professional career I started thinking about being a coach and wanting to have a "my" project in the training area, thus preparing my future linked to football.

2# What is your greatest dream as a coach?
JG - My dream as a coach is to make a career as a professional at the highest level, just like I did as a player.

3# What is more difficult for you: to educate the players or the parents?
JG - Undoubtedly the parents but I feel that the work we have been doing at school has been making them feel better and better in their role as educators in the sport.

4# How important is it for you to reconcile studies with training? Does your club help athletes in any way?
JG - For us the school accompaniment is a priority, every period our athletes must deliver their grades, then we have a pedagogical coordinator and a Psychologist that will evaluate case by case, and all the athletes that are referenced will be accompanied in an individual way. The studies are totally compatible with the sport, they should only be organized. There is no reason to miss training and games to study, always knowing that there are exceptions.

5# Which professional athlete would you like to present to your players? What is the reason?
JG - Cristiano Ronaldo. No doubt he is the example of resilience, will, desire, spirit of sacrifice, of fighting for dreams, of believing that it is possible and of a great professional in his field.

6# What do you think of competitive cadres in the younger age groups in Portugal? What would change?
JG - Up to now I feel satisfied with the way the organization of competitions is defined.

7# How did you know about IberCup and in how many editions did you participate?
JG - I knew it through a commercial and social networks. We participated only once in the Holiday Tournament, Ibercup Estoril 2019.

8# Do you consider it a useful experience for young athletes to travel abroad and play against teams from all over the world?
JG - Very useful, it is also part of their growth, not only playing but also living with other cultures, as it happened with us at the school where we were staying, it was something that our athletes will never forget.

9# What would you say to a coach who wants to come to IberCup?
JG - Belive on this tournament and enjoy all the best that football gives us, because at Ibercup that is possible.