Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso revealed the intriguing answer he gave club chairman Tlhopie Motsepe when asked about his striking calmness.
Speaking to the media on Saturday, just a day before the crucial CAF Champions League final in Cairo, Cardoso exuded an unexpected tranquillity.
This composure came despite his team letting a lead slip at home in the first-leg, conceding a stoppage-time goal that resulted in a precarious 1-1 draw in Pretoria due to the away goals rule.
Nevertheless, the Portuguese mentor shared his secret to finding peace amidst a “storm,” believing that if his players adopt the same mindset, they will deliver the performance of their lives in the final. Kick-off at the June 30 Stadium is 7PM SA time.
CARDOSO’S SECRET TO PEACE EXPLAINED
“I was speaking today in the afternoon with the chairman of the club, and he was looking at me and saying, ‘you are so relaxed, what happened to you?’. My answer to him was very simple,” said Cardoso.
“It’s when you stand over more important things for you as a human being than winning a cup, then you get the release, the state of mind and the freedom to be at peace whenever you play this kind of match.”
He went on to reveal that he received an award in Portugal from the National Association of Football Coaches of Portugal following his exploits on the African continent.
The former Esperance de Tunis mentor guided Taraji to a league title last season and the final of the CAF Champions League. Cardoso recently won Sundowns their eighth successive title. He stands on the cusp of making history by getting them their second star.
“One of the things I wrote for him [my brother] to read was exactly that. Standing over the values that you constantly have in your life, the fact that you understand that the people that you love and let love you are the ones that are really meaningful to you.
“When you take care of the friends that were always there, even in the darker days of your life, those people will be there whatever happens tomorrow. It gives me such a sense of peace that if my players could feel it, they would make a wonderful game on Sunday.
“A cup is important, but it’s important for the coach, not for the man. The guy who’s gonna live with me until the end of my days will be not the coach, but the man.”
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