Mamelodi Sundowns hired Miguel Cardoso as the team's new head coach this week, but what made his stint in LALIGA six years ago so miserable? Here is what happened.
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In a bold move this week, the South African champions dismissed Manqoba Mngqithi from his position and replaced him with former Esperance boss Cardoso. The 52-year-old enjoyed a successful stint in Tunisia, where he averaged two points per match over 26 games in charge and won the Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1 along the way.
However, his managerial career has not always been smooth sailing. After being sacked by Nantes in France's top division following just eight games in charge, La Liga side Celta Vigo hired Cardoso to replace Antonio Mohamed in November 2018.
After securing two victories and one draw in his opening six matches, key forward Iago Aspas — still a crucial player for Celta today — suffered a calf injury that would keep him sidelined for a month and a half.
Aspas' injury came at a particularly unfortunate time for both Celta and Cardoso, as the team relied heavily on the former Liverpool forward for creativity and goals. Aspas has since amassed an impressive 292 goal contributions in 508 appearances for the club, highlighting his undeniable influence on his teammates and results.
His absence was felt immediately, with Celta losing four consecutive matches following the injury. The Sky Blues managed just one win without Aspas in the lineup in the games that followed. Cardoso was eventually dismissed in March 2019, after suffering 10 losses and securing only three victories in his 15-match tenure.
Interestingly, Aspas had been positive about his manager's early impact at the club, once telling the media that, under Cardoso, Celta had at one point played like Barcelona. However, that honeymoon period quickly ended as Cardoso struggled to find a winning formula in Vigo.
Even before his struggles on the pitch, Cardoso had come under fire from supporters after a mistake during his unveiling as Celta manager. He thanked the wrong club for hiring him —not just any club, but Deportivo La Coruna, Celta's biggest rivals.
Cardoso had previously served as an assistant manager at Deportivo, but his history did little to ease the embarrassment when a video of his blunder quickly circulated on social media.
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In addition to various spells as an assistant in Europe, Cardoso has also managed Rio Ave in Portugal during two separate stints: first between 2017 and 2018, and again in 2021, with a brief period in charge at AEK Athens in Greece in between.
