Jorge Jesus, the fiery coach Damien Tixier has never forgotten

“I’m the best coach in Portugal, you’ll hear about me”: the line captures Jorge Jesus’s confidence, now at the centre of a stand-off with Cristiano Ronaldo. Damien Tixier, who played under him at Leiria, says the confrontation does not surprise him. The former French full-back remembers a volcanic temperament, but above all a coach who was “monstrous” tactically.

Tixier worked with Jesus during the 2005-2006 season, having faced him a few times beforehand. He says he had heard only positive things before Jesus arrived at Leiria. The new coach took over from José Gomes, who was dismissed after a month and two matches in charge.

Jesus wasted little time in making his ambitions clear. “I’m telling you, here, I’m the boss,” Tixier recalls. Jesus also told him: “You’ll see later, I’m going to coach Benfica, Sporting or Porto.” Tixier also remembers their first meeting: Jesus asked his name, despite Tixier having been in the league for several years. “It might seem like a small thing, but to me it says a lot about the person,” he says.

Beyond the personality, it was the preparation that stayed with the former player. Training sessions focused on specific details and tactical work: set pieces, a high press and the offside trap. Tixier recalls carefully choreographed preparations every Thursday before matches. He contrasts that approach with other coaches, describing Jesus as someone who wanted everything precisely organised. He says the Portuguese coach spoke frankly to everyone in the dressing room, unlike another manager who could not bring himself to criticise him even after a poor performance.

Tixier says he recognised, in Jesus’s first matches with Portugal, tactical ideas they had already worked on at Leiria in 2005. He also recalls that Leiria finished 7th in the league in 2005-2006, close to a European place, after narrowly avoiding relegation the previous season. Jesus, he says, played a major part in that campaign. For Tixier, the coach with the volcanic character is, first and foremost, a tactical specialist.