During his time with NF Academy Emanuel has been an inspiration to many young players through our scouting partnership with Sporting CP, by coaching in our local Scandinavian programs NF International and encouraging students around the world one-on-one with NF Virtual Academy.

When the news broke about his signing with Portuguese club Estoril Praia many of our players shared gratitude and well-wishes to their coach on social media.

The heartwarming response shows the impact our coaches can have on our player’s personal development and their love for the game.
Naturally, we’re sad to lose a friend and such a popular, enthusiastic and skilful coach.

However, we still feel inspired when a member of the NF Academy family is fulfilling their dreams on a professional level.

Realizing goals

Coaching in professional football has always been Emanuel’s dream, the same way many of our players are striving towards playing at the top level as well.

Working with the players in training camps and tournaments, Emanuel has often expressed his admiration of the Nordic players’ discipline and morale.

They are always responsive to new challenges, and they are eager to learn. One area which we’ve worked on a lot is the competitive aspect of the game. Football is about passion, it is about joy and friendship, but it is also about competition, he said.

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A last message from the coach

On his way to Lisbon to start coaching his new team, Emanuel left a message of persistence to the NF squad:

When you have a dream, you have to invest time and dedicate yourself to it really hard. There are three essential things for me: persistence, rigour and discipline. Bring these three words to your work and never deviate from your focus.

From all of us here, thanks for the memories, we wish you the best of luck with your new club.