The former Chinese Super League coach coached the UAE team on a three-year contract to compete for the 2026 World Cup

After waiting for more than half a year, former Chinese Super League coach Paul Bento finally found a new job - at 18 pm local time on July 9, the UAE Football Association held a press conference in Abu Dhabi to announce that 53-year-old Paul Bento was the new manager of the UAE team, according to the Secretary-General of the UAE Football Association, Hazam Dahri: Bento's contract is for 3 years, and the ultimate goal is to enter the 2026 World Cup finals.

Paolo Bento

Paul Bento, who used to coach Chongqing Lifan, knows Asian football very well. In 2018, he succeeded Shin Tae-yong as the head coach of the South Korean national team. In the following four years, he used Son Heung-min as the core of the team, and promoted new forces such as Hwang In-beom, Cao Gyu-sung and Jung You-ying. In the end, South Korea reached the round of 16 at the World Cup in Qatar, and he himself was widely recognized.

The scene of the press conference

After leaving South Korea, Paul Bento received an invitation from the Polish Football Association, but because of salary negotiations, he did not take over the coaching of the Polish national team. On the 1st of this month, the UAE Football Association officially announced that Rudolfo Aruabarena would no longer be the team's manager, and it didn't take long for the secretary general of the Football Association, Hazzam Dakhri, to sign Paul Bento.

Paolo Bento

At the press conference, Hazam Dahri first introduced Bento's professional resume and signing details to the reporters present, and when it was the Portuguese's turn to speak, he went straight to the point and directly stated his goals and team building philosophy: "Next January, we will play in the Asian Cup, and after that, we will start playing the World Preliminary Round. The last time the UAE reached the World Cup was back in 1990, but the rules of the World Qualifiers have changed a lot compared to that time. Our ultimate goal is to reach the 2026 World Cup finals, but the goal is to be completed step by step. I will build an ambitious and united team. ”

Paolo Bento

For Paul Bento, UAE football is fundamentally different from Korean football, but his past success will be beneficial to him: "The comparison doesn't make sense, it's two different styles of football and two different football systems, but my experience coaching in Korea has been very useful to me and will help me settle into the new environment." ”

The scene of the press conference

Bento is also confident about the future: "Winning makes our fans happy, and from the very beginning, we have to find the right direction. Pressure is part of our job and every game we play is going to give our all to win. I can't make any promises when it comes to results, but I promise that my team and I will be fully prepared and come up with the most professional attitude. ”