Tiago Pinto’s ascendancy to the role of general manager at Roma has been swift and surprising, as he’s only been in football for three years and Benfica offered him a job due to his comments in a General Assembly.
The 36-year-old was appointed this evening, having never even been mentioned as one of many candidates for the role.
Tiago Pinto’s ascendancy to the role of general manager at Roma has been swift and surprising, as he’s only been in football for three years and Benfica offered him a job due to his comments in a General Assembly.
The 36-year-old was appointed this evening, having never even been mentioned as one of many candidates for the role.
Hailing from the northern Portuguese town of Peso da Regua, he graduated from the University of Porto with a Bachelor’s degree in Pedagogy and a Masters in Economics and Human Resources.
Remarkably, he was offered a job by Benfica after impressing them with his comments during a General Assembly meeting.
Benfica have a multisports division and are not just a football club, so over five years he helped them win titles in basketball, futsal, volleyball, handball and even roller hockey.
He was invited to take over as Director of Professional Football in 2017, working closely with former Fiorentina and Milan star Manuel Rui Costa.
“Tiago Pinto is an outstanding choice to develop our footballing talent at Roma,” CEO Guido Fienga told the official Roma website.
“Tiago is well-regarded for his holistic approach to developing a dynamic sporting department, and also for his track record of building an active pathway for players to graduate from the academy to the first team. His energy, expertise and commitment will prove invaluable in our quest to win trophies.”
His appointment suggests Roma are looking not so much for a transfer wheeler and dealer, but rather someone who can help get the most out of their undoubtedly prolific youth academy.
Image: @ASRomaEN