Jorge Vital was unexpectedly thrown into the spotlight after Ruben Amorim’s comments about the Manchester United goalkeeper coach during a pointed Marcus Rashford rant.
Rashford was once again absent for the Red Devils victory over Fulham, with Amorim pressed on the whereabouts of the English international.
The Portuguese tactician said he’d sooner stick Vital, the 63-year-old goalkeeper coach, on the pitch instead of Rashford, who he claims hasn’t been giving the “maximum” in training.
But after becoming one of the most well-known goalkeeper coaches in world football, who actually is Vital? Express Sport takes a look…
The Tomar-born coach enjoyed a humble career as a player, turning out for mainly lower-league clubs in Portugal, but he did enjoy a brief spell with Sporting CP during the mid-1980s.
It didn’t take long for Vital to turn his hand to coaching after retiring shortly after the turn of the millennium, firstly with Primeira Liga side Braga, where he spent a fruitful 10 years, before joining former club Sporting in 2011.
Vital only lasted until February the following year, with him penning a return to Braga in 2012, where he’d stick around for a further eight years.
This is where his paths would cross with current United manager Amorim, firstly as a player and then the manager, with the tactician appointed as Braga boss in 2019.
Having left an impression on Amorim during their short time working together, Vital was kept on as his goalkeeper coach when the boss was hired by Sporting in March 2020, meaning for the third time in his career, he was Lisbon-bound.
He’d make up part of the backroom staff that helped guide Sporting to five major honours across a four-year period, including two Portuguese league titles.
Given the success they’d shared, it was no surprise Amorim opted to bring Vital with him to Manchester when he was hounded out as Erik ten Hag’s replacement earlier this season.
But the move was questioned by some, given Vital isn’t believed to be able to speak any English. A former Sporting employee told The Athletic: “He looks like a grandpa, but he exudes this contagious energy out on the pitch. It’s amazing. You want to be exactly like him.
“I’d be surprised if he could say two sentences in English.”
Considering he’s carrying a limp that is said to inhibit his movement on the training pitch, perhaps playing him over Rashford in the United XI wouldn’t be the best of ideas after all.
