Making dreams come true – including his own

Published on: 05/08/2020
Emanuel has the same dream as some NF Academy players, reach the professional football. If it is your dream, his advice is "invest time and dedicate yourself to it really hard".
Emanuel has the same dream as some NF Academy players, reach the professional football. If it is your dream, his advice is "invest time and dedicate yourself to it really hard".

Making dreams come true – including his own

After 16 years of coaching and developing youth players with NF, Benfica and other leading academies, our beloved Emanuel Mesquita is making another step towards his dream of coaching an elite team in Portugal. Read on for his reflections about Scandinavian talents, his message to the NF Academy players and their reactions to his departure.

Emanuel has the same dream as some NF Academy players, reach the professional football. If it is your dream, his advice is "invest time and dedicate yourself to it really hard".
Emanuel has the same dream as some NF Academy players, reach the professional football. If it is your dream, his advice is "invest time and dedicate yourself to it really hard".

Making dreams come true – including his own

After 16 years of coaching and developing youth players with NF, Benfica and other leading academies, our beloved Emanuel Mesquita is making another step towards his dream of coaching an elite team in Portugal. Read on for his reflections about Scandinavian talents, his message to the NF Academy players and their reactions to his departure.

During his time with NF Academy Emanuel has been an inspiration to many young players through our scouting partnership with Sporting CP, by coaching in our local Scandinavian programs NF International and encouraging students around the world one-on-one with NF Virtual Academy.

When the news broke about his signing with Portuguese club Estoril Praia many of our players shared gratitude and well-wishes to their coach on social media.

The heartwarming response shows the impact our coaches can have on our player’s personal development and their love for the game.
Naturally, we’re sad to lose a friend and such a popular, enthusiastic and skilful coach.

However, we still feel inspired when a member of the NF Academy family is fulfilling their dreams on a professional level.

Realizing goals

Coaching in professional football has always been Emanuel’s dream, the same way many of our players are striving towards playing at the top level as well.

Working with the players in training camps and tournaments, Emanuel has often expressed his admiration of the Nordic players’ discipline and morale.

They are always responsive to new challenges, and they are eager to learn. One area which we’ve worked on a lot is the competitive aspect of the game. Football is about passion, it is about joy and friendship, but it is also about competition, he said.

During 2 years in NF Academy, Emanuel took part in tournaments, local camps and was supportive of implementation of new projects.
During 2 years in NF Academy, Emanuel took part in tournaments, local camps and was supportive of implementation of new projects.
During 2 years in NF Academy, Emanuel took part in tournaments, local camps and was supportive of implementation of new projects.
During 2 years in NF Academy, Emanuel took part in tournaments, local camps and was supportive of implementation of new projects.

A last message from the coach

On his way to Lisbon to start coaching his new team, Emanuel left a message of persistence to the NF squad:

When you have a dream, you have to invest time and dedicate yourself to it really hard. There are three essential things for me: persistence, rigour and discipline. Bring these three words to your work and never deviate from your focus.

From all of us here, thanks for the memories, we wish you the best of luck with your new club.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Date Program Country Place Age Group
28 Mar - 01 Apr 2024 NF Selection Future Cup Sweden Gothernburg 2008-2014
01 - 07 Jul 2024 NF Selection Tallinn Cup Estonia Tallinn 2013-2008
15 - 25 Jul 2024 NF High Performance Portugal Rio Maior 2009-2006
29 Sep - 05 Oct 2024 NF Elite Training Camp
Week 40
Portugal Lisbon / Estoril 2009-2014
06 - 12 Oct 2024 NF Elite Training Camp
Week 41
Portugal Lisbon / Estoril 2009-2014
13 - 19 Oct 2024 NF Elite Training Camp
Week 42
Portugal Lisbon / Estoril 2009-2014
27 Oct - 02 Nov 2023 NF Elite Training Camp
Week 44
Portugal Lisbon / Estoril 2009-2014

Check the complete Event Calendar here.

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