The 2022 World Cup only lasted a week, but Carlos Queiroz grabbed the headlines.
The Iranian manager confronted a reporter with questions about the ongoing protests in the country.
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Do you remember the guy on the left?
Reuters
He’s the boss of Iran now
He then called on Jurgan Klinsmann to resign from FIFA after the German accused his side of ‘mandate’ in their win over Wales.
Queiroz will be more than used to being in the spotlight.
The Portuguese coach is synonymous with every image of Sir Alex Ferguson sitting on the bench chewing gum before launching into the occasional touchline blast of the Premier League years.
Right next to the legendary Manchester United boss through many glory days was Queiroz, one of the club’s most iconic assistants.
Between 2002 and 2003, and again between 2004 and 2008, Queiroz helped the club win three Premier League titles, a Champions League and a League Cup.
Ferguson was the master of delegation during his time at Old Trafford and Queiroz was often the man to get the cones out and put the players through their paces.
As Ferguson himself said in his 2014 autobiography: “Queiroz was brilliant. Just awesome. Exceptional.
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Ferguson loved Queiroz
“An intelligent and meticulous man. He was good for me. It was a rotweiler.
“He was the closest thing to being manager of Manchester United without holding the title.”
Queiroz’s ability as a generational coach is undisputed – and perhaps that’s why Iranian minnows are now ranked among FIFA’s top 20 nations.
Those are definitely not cups, just ask Uruguay, whose full side were beaten 1-0 by Queiroz’s men last September.
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It won’t be Gareth Southgate’s first time facing Queiroz
But while Queiroz is universally regarded as a masterful coach, he is not universally appreciated.
It would probably be quicker to name the people who Roy Keane is affectionate, but he reserved particularly fierce criticism for Queiroz, even by the standards of the Irishman.
Asked about the former United assistant in the 2018 World Cup, Keane told ITV: “He was a great manager.
“Probably quite defensive. I always thought we had a decent relationship, especially during his first spell at United.
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Surely Keane isn’t holding a grudge?
“Towards the end of my time at United I found him to be really disrespectful to me, so we had a bit of a fight.
“He questioned my loyalty so I told him where to go.
“One of my big regrets is not having ripped his head off.
“But yes, he is an excellent coach.”
Classic Keane. But what really happened?
Queiroz left United in 2003, after one season, when Real Madrid asked him to become their manager.
It was an opportunity to train the “Galaticos” – Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo, Roberto Carlos – but Keane did not forget.
Queiroz was sacked after ten months on the job, falling to a fourth-place finish in La Liga, and Ferguson welcomed him back to United with open arms.
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Madrid was just a temporary stain
Keane added: “That was my point when he was brave enough to throw that [lack of loyalty] to me.
“Considering he left for Real Madrid and was back within 10 months with his tail between his legs.
“But again, don’t take anything away from him. A very good coach and I enjoyed working with him.
Queiroz’s atypical career – which has also seen him coach South Africa, Portugal, Colombia and Egypt – is unlikely to live up to his famous talents.
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Queiroz inspired some of the greatest players of this generation
But today England will come up against the man whose tactics inspired one of the most successful English teams in history.
It might not be Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes, but Iran have the man who helped make them what they were.
Former United defender Patrice Evra once recalled: “He never smiled. But his workouts were perfect.
“Even when he left United, tactically it wasn’t the same.
“We kept winning the league, but tactically we weren’t the same.”
Queiroz hopes to use all that experience to ensure Iran advance to the knockout stages.
They lost 6-2 to England but beat Wales 2-0 to take second place in Group B with only the United States to play on Tuesday.
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