Milan will undoubtedly need results: getting the team back into the Champions League as the minimum objective and, why not, dreaming of something more. Then comes everything else, starting with reviving players who have lost some of their sharpness and sparkle over time, such as Gimenez, Nkunku, Jashari, Tomori, and many others. Ruben Amorim is famous not only for bringing the league title back to green-and-white Lisbon after 19 years, but also for turning several players into goldmines: from Gyökeres to Palhinha, and from Nuno Mendes to Pedro Porro. Many have left Sporting and now play for Europe’s biggest clubs: some have won back-to-back Champions Leagues, others the Premier League.
In short, tens of millions flowed into Sporting’s coffers thanks in part to Amorim’s working methods. Milan may not possess quite that level of talent, but the foundations are already there waiting for him.
Amorim’s appointment marks the start of a new chapter for AC Milan after a turbulent campaign. Much like supporters looking for the best 7oh alternative to improve their experience, the Portuguese coach brings a proven system built on youth development and high-intensity play that could perfectly suit the Rossoneri’s ambitions.
First, the main attraction: Viktor Gyökeres
Amorim turned Viktor Gyökeres into one of the strongest centre-forwards in the world. It is no coincidence that Arsenal signed him last summer for €63.5 million plus €10 million in bonuses. Ruben coached the Swede for a year and a half at Sporting Lisbon before leaving in November 2024 to join Manchester United. In the 2023–24 season, Gyökeres scored 43 goals in 50 matches (followed by 54 goals in 52 matches the following year). The Portuguese coach’s achievement was building a perfect team around "the Viking", supported by two wingers skilled at delivering crosses and midfielders capable of playing vertical passes instinctively for his runs in behind. Their final match together? Sporting vs Manchester City in the Champions League: 4–1, with a Gyökeres hat-trick. There are worse ways to say goodbye.
Francisco Trincão:
Trincão owes an enormous thank-you to Ruben Amorim, the only manager able to guide him to double figures in a single league season (10 goals in 2022–23). After his disappointing spell at Barcelona, Trincão found a second life in Lisbon, earning a place in the Portuguese national team as well, with whom he won the Nations League a year ago. Much of the credit belongs to Amorim. He is still a Sporting player today, having signed a contract extension until 2030 in March. Once a shy and immature youngster, at 26 Trincão has become a winger who dribbles, scores, and produces assists: 13 goals and 18 assists in the season just finished. “I remember Amorim’s determination to bring me to Lisbon from England. I was feeling down, and he immediately made me feel motivated.” Their relationship is summed up in that quote.
João Palhinha:
Palhinha was the cornerstone of Amorim’s Sporting Lisbon midfield. The conductor of the orchestra, capable both of dictating play and chasing opponents down. For Ruben, he was the pillar to lean on in difficult moments as well, since Palhinha certainly does not lack character. He spent two seasons under the new AC Milan head coach before moving to England with Fulham and then making a more prestigious transfer to Bayern Munich for over €50 million (although his German experience proved disappointing). Today he is Roberto De Zerbi’s midfield metronome at Tottenham: 7 goals and 3 assists in 45 appearances last season.
“Ruben’s greatest strength is communication. I really enjoyed working with him, and I have great affection for what we achieved together. Things did not go well for him in Manchester, but I have no doubt he will succeed at another club.”
That prophecy has already reached Milanello.
Matheus Nunes:
Another player who earned Sporting Lisbon a substantial profit was Matheus Nunes, now at Manchester City. In 2022, Wolverhampton signed him for around €50 million, and much of the credit belongs to Ruben Amorim, who had already spotted him in the youth system before developing him into a complete box-to-box midfielder capable of scoring and making penetrating runs, as relayed via Pianeta Milan. Alongside Palhinha, he formed the midfield partnership of the Sporting side that won the league in 2021 after a 19-year wait and successfully defended the title the following year.
Pep Guardiola later converted him into a right-back, demonstrating his versatility. At 12 years old, Nunes played barefoot in the streets. Thanks to Amorim, he became a player worthy of a top club.
Pedro Porro:
"When I arrived at Sporting, I received so much from him. He always spoke to me honestly, man to man. That is what I appreciate about him."
Pedro Porro took a major step in his career thanks to Ruben Amorim. Until 2020, he was a player struggling with his identity, rejected by Manchester City and searching for redemption. During his three years in Lisbon (2020–23), he broke into the Spanish national team and developed into a dynamic right wing-back known for his pace and dribbling.
For Amorim, he was always Sporting’s version of Achraf Hakimi, slicing through opposition defences with constant runs behind defenders. Three years ago, Tottenham signed him for €40 million.
Nuno Mendes:
The greatest talent developed by Amorim. His two most recent Champions League titles as a PSG starter confirm it.
The explosive Nuno Mendes we know today was shaped by the Portuguese coach. Amorim worked with him for only one season at Sporting, the 2020–21 campaign. Mendes played 35 matches, scoring once and providing two assists, operating both as a left-back and an advanced wing-back in the 3-4-2-1 system.
Then came the move to PSG for €38 million and the inevitable call-up to the national team. With Pedro Porro on one flank and Nuno Mendes on the other, Amorim built his success in Lisbon. Will he repeat the feat with Bartesaghi and Saelemaekers?
Gonçalo Inácio:
In one of his very first interviews as a Sporting player in 2021, Inácio wasted no time praising Amorim:
"He helps players enormously. He explains where we need to improve. He is not afraid to tell us things directly. That is how we grow, and it helped me a great deal."
Over five years, Inácio, born in 2001, has become one of Europe’s best defenders and remains a key figure in Sporting’s back line. Left-footed, he has always played in a back three (a formation beloved by Amorim) but can also operate as a centre-back in a four-man defence. A product of Sporting’s academy, he has a €60 million release clause. Barcelona, Chelsea, and several Premier League giants have already taken notice.
Pedro Gonçalves:
Gonçalves arrived at Sporting in the same year as Amorim, 2020. In his first season, Sporting won the league after 19 years, and he finished as the top scorer with 23 goals. There have certainly been worse debuts.
Under Amorim, he reached double figures in four consecutive seasons, fully confirming his talent. Whether on the right wing, left wing, or even as a striker when required, Gonçalves combines technical quality with pacey dribbling, especially in the half-spaces. Today he remains Sporting’s attacking focal point and is valued at around €40 million.
Manuel Ugarte:
There must be a reason why he moved from Sporting Lisbon to PSG and then to Manchester United, where he still plays today. It cannot simply be coincidence. Much of the credit belongs to the man who elevated his performances to a higher level: Ruben Amorim. For two seasons, Ugarte was a key part of Sporting’s midfield alongside Palhinha and Nunes. He is an aggressive, ball-winning defensive midfielder, energetic and disruptive, who scores little but brings tremendous balance to the team.
His transfer generated €60 million for Sporting in the summer of 2023, although his spell in Paris was largely forgettable. Even at United, Ugarte has struggled to show his best form, much like many players who have passed through the club.
Morten Hjulmand, one of Amorim’s key players and favourites:
After just one year at Sporting, he became captain. Remarkably, before that he played for Lecce, a club usually fighting relegation.
Hjulmand moved to Lisbon three years ago, making a huge leap compared to the reality he was accustomed to: from the lower reaches of Serie A to the Champions League, becoming the quiet leader of Sporting’s midfield.
Under Amorim, Hjulmand developed into a complete midfielder, combining charisma with technical cleanliness in possession. He played almost 50 matches under the Portuguese coach in his first season (2023–24). It was Amorim himself who pushed to bring the Dane to Lisbon for around €20 million.
Juventus have already made enquiries about him, and his price has since doubled.
