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To describe Ruben Amorim's start to his managerial career as anything other than spectacular would be quite a disservice.
It was just over four years ago that Amorim, then 35, was entrusted with resurrecting one of Portugal's greatest institutions, Sporting Clube De Portugal.
Prior to his arrival, the club had not reigned as the Primera Liga's top team since May 2002, six months before a 17-year-old by the name of Cristiano Ronaldo made his debut.
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In that time, 16 different managers - including Marco Silva, Fernando Santos and Carlos Carvalhal - all tried and failed to end Benfica and FC Porto's duopoly on Portuguese football after 18 straight championship successes between the two clubs.
The failure to land any notable blows on either club - outside of ad hoc Taca da Liga triumphs, Portugal's equivalent to the League Cup - led to Sporting acquiring an unwanted reputation as a 'cemetery for coaches'. Those brave enough to chance their luck at the poisoned chalice usually enjoyed success either side of their tumultuous - and often short - stints at the Estadio Jose Alvalade.
It's for that reason that a cash-strapped Sporting - who had not long before been pushed to cash in on the likes of Bruno Fernandes, Raphinha, Rafael Leao and Gelson Martins - yielded widespread confusion when they agreed to pay a compensation package of roughly €10 million for Amorim four years ago this month, who was just weeks into a professional managerial career that had spanned 13 matches.
In those outings, though, Amorim, who in 2017 retired from a career spent primarily with
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