Pinto: “Bournemouth is a case study. Huijsen? Like a winning lottery ticket”

From the documentary “Bournemouth, Don’t Call It Cinderella Anymore”: our exclusive interview with the Portuguese executive

Speaking to gianlucadimarzio.com for the documentary “Bournemouth, Don’t Call It Cinderella Anymore”, Bournemouth’s President of Football Operations, Tiago Pinto, opened up about his current experience in England and reflected on his past roles in Italy with Roma and in Portugal with Benfica.

We are at the Vitality Stadium, one of the smallest in Premier League history—but can we say it’s one of the most beautiful?

“It’s different, right? When you arrive, you immediately understand that it’s small, but the atmosphere is very positive. I think it’s actually an advantage for us that the stadium is like this. In my opinion, it’s a bit of the spirit of English football”.

It’s been just under a year since you arrived—what has your impact been with the Premier League and the Bournemouth project?
“I’ve always had the dream of working in the Premier League. Now that I’m here, you really understand that it’s a different kind of sport. Many people say it’s the NBA of football, and I agree. The English love football, they love the game itself, and talk much less about things that aren’t the game—unlike in Portugal or Italy. I’m really happy and excited to be part of this English football world that everyone wants to be involved in”.

What convinced you to choose this club?
“When I left Roma, I was really tired and wanted to take a break and reflect. At that time, I spoke with several clubs who had different projects. But there was one factor that changed everything: the conversation I had with Bournemouth’s owner, Bill Foley. He’s a good person, and after a few contacts with some people working here, when I had the privilege of speaking to him, I can say it was even emotional—how he talked about ambition and the desire for growth. We really connected. We had the call on a Tuesday, and by Friday I had signed the contract. Beyond the Premier League and everything the club had done in recent years, I think the empathy I felt with the ownership was very important”.

Our interview with Tiago Pinto

This season, Bournemouth is in unprecedented positions for its history—what are the secrets behind this progress?
“In my opinion, everything changed when Bill Foley bought the club. We made big investments in the squad. In the last 2–3 years, Bournemouth has spent around £300 million on players. The people who worked at the club—like Richard Hughes, who is now at Liverpool—did an incredible job in recruitment. That work is now being continued by Simon Francis. I think the club has grown a lot in many areas in recent years. There’s a peaceful environment here, and a strong alignment in vision between the ownership and what the team does on the pitch. We can’t forget that we also have a great coach—a fantastic man—and above all, with the style of football he brought to this small stadium, he’s made Bournemouth a case study”.

Arsenal, City, United, Newcastle—which win still gives you goosebumps when you talk about it?
“Look, I think the win against Manchester City was very important for the club, because it was the first time we beat them in the Premier League. It meant a lot. But personally, the most emotional for me was the one against Newcastle. We had no players available—the bench was full of U21 guys because we had 10 injured players. Playing at St. James’ Park, an incredible stadium, against a Newcastle team that had won nine straight games, and winning 4–1—that was insane for me”.

Our interview with Tiago Pinto

You also worked with Benfica and Roma—what are the biggest differences between those experiences?.
“I think here in England, and especially at Bournemouth, I found something that has always been very important in my career: strategy. You don’t win in football through emotion. I was born in Portugal, I love Italy, but I have a bit of a German mindset. I need to have a strategy and plan without changing based on results. In England—but especially at Bournemouth—I’ve found this ability to plan ahead, have a clear strategy for recruitment and the football we want to play. That’s very different from Roma and Benfica, where the media and fan pressure—and at Benfica also elections—make it harder to stick to a long-term strategy”.

What stayed with you from your time at Roma, and what did you carry into the next step in your career?
“A lot of things… In the end, Rome is a special place. In the three years I was there, I was never the type to talk much about the fans, but what I truly miss is them. What I experienced in that stadium, I don’t think you can experience anywhere else. The passion the fans have for the team is spine-tingling. I was very lucky—during those three years, every day on the streets the fans treated me like a god. I joke a bit with my friends from Benfica—we always say that Benfica fans are the best in the world—but I tell them they say that only because they’ve never been to Rome. The passion of the Roma fans is something spectacular. That experience helped me grow a lot as a sporting director. I really enjoyed working in Italy with great sporting directors like Paolo Maldini, Massara, Ausilio, and Pantaleo Corvino—who is a friend and helped me a lot. But what I really miss is that environment and the fans’ passion”.

In an old interview with Gianluca about Svilar, you said: “I’m very happy for the moment Svilar is living, because I arrived at Benfica in May 2017 and Mile arrived in August—we went through the whole journey together. Then he came here, he suffered a lot, he grew, but he’ll become one of the best goalkeepers in the world.” Can you tell us a behind-the-scenes story about how you brought him to Roma and what qualities convinced you?
“I never give up on my players. When I choose a player, I always do everything I can to make sure they succeed. Mile is a very special guy. Every goalkeeper coach who worked with him told me he was the best. Every player who played with him, every coach who trained him, told me the same. What he was missing was that ‘click’—because anyone who saw him in training knew immediately that he wasn’t normal. He’s one of those players in my career who still gives me emotion when I see his saves. At Benfica, I called him ‘my Golden Boy.’ I’m really happy for him, but that’s all his doing—I had nothing to do with it. For me, it was obvious that he would become one of the best in the world—it was just a matter of time”.

” Huijsen is a winning lottery ticket”

What’s the signing you’re most proud of in your career?
“It’s hard, because I’m still in touch with all the players I’ve signed. I keep in contact whether they did well or not. When a player I signed doesn’t do well, I feel responsible, and I always think something more could’ve been done. If a player fails, it’s also partly my fault. Looking back, though, bringing players like Svilar, Ndicka, Aouar, and Paredes to Roma on free transfers—and I can’t forget the greatest of them all, Dybala—I have to say he’s special. You watch Dybala in training, he touches the ball, and you just think, ‘bingo.’ Everything else is just noise. It’s hard to pick one, but if I had to, aside from Mile with whom I have a special relationship, I’d say Paulo”.

We talked about your big past signings—looking to the future, is your phone already ringing for this summer?
“The boys are doing really well, so you know—when a young team like ours plays this kind of football with a good coach like Andoni, developing this style and these results—I think it’s going to be a tough summer. I’ve always been a sporting director who liked selling, but now I find myself in a situation where I don’t want to sell anyone—but it will be hard”.

What qualities of Huijsen convinced you about this player?
“Dean is a bit like Mile. He arrived in Rome, and two days later his teammates were asking me where I found someone like him. For me, Dean is already one of the top five centre-backs in the world, and in two years he’ll be the best. Signing Huijsen is like buying a lottery ticket knowing it’s already a winner. And thanks to his family, he was raised to be number one: he has an incredible mentality, amazing self-confidence, he’s very intelligent, speaks five languages, and has great family support. He can’t fail. He’s like Mile, and again, I take no credit—anyone who’s worked with him knows immediately he’ll be the best in the world”.

In one word—who is Tiago Pinto today?
“In my life, I want to be remembered as a good person. Work is work—what I did with Benfica and Roma helped me grow a lot—but what matters most to me is that the people I worked with can say I was a good person. I believe I am…”