{"id":575627,"date":"2026-03-31T04:51:22","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T04:51:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/575627\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T04:51:22","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T04:51:22","slug":"interview-with-francisco-and-sergio-conceicao-on-football-family-and-portugals-world-cup-chances","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/575627\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview with Francisco and Sergio Conceicao: On football, family and Portugal\u2019s World Cup chances"},"content":{"rendered":"

Francisco \u2018Chico\u2019 Conceicao, 23, is a Portuguese international, a winger with Juventus who will play against the United States on Tuesday in Atlanta.<\/p>\n

He has lived and played in five countries. That is in part because his father Sergio Conceicao, 51, is a legendary former Portuguese international winger for 10 clubs in five countries: Academica de Coimbra, Porto, Lazio, Parma, Inter, Standard Liege and more. He won 10 domestic trophies and was a semi-finalist at Euro 2000. As a coach, he has won 12 trophies in 12 years \u2014 11 with Porto, where he became the most successful manager in their history. His most recent trophy was the 2025 Italian Super Cup with Milan. He is currently coaching Al Ittihad in Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n

Sergio lost his father at 16 in a motorbike accident and his mother at 18 to illness. His parents never got to see his professional career. All of Sergio\u2019s five boys are footballers. Francisco scored Portugal\u2019s decisive goal against Germany in the 2025 Nations League semi-finals and scored in the 2024 European Championship against the Czech Republic.<\/p>\n

The Athletic spoke to father and son.<\/p>\n

Sergio, what was Francisco like as a child? And, Francisco, how was it growing up with a famous parent?\"\"<\/p>\n

\n The Conceicaos have a remarkable football pedigree (Conceicao family)<\/p>\n

Sergio: Francisco was always competitive, sensitive and close to the family. Always a top-of-the-class student. He enrolled at university to study physical education, passed all the tests and exams, always with top marks, but as he\u2019s playing for Juventus, he put his studies on hold.<\/p>\n

Francisco: I\u2019ve always been very proud of my father. Amazing player. Winner as a manager. People compared me to my father from early on. I didn\u2019t mind. All I felt was an unconditional love. I had the best example to me, a father with such a deep knowledge of football. I also had others in my family to drive me.<\/p>\n

What was it like moving countries frequently?<\/p>\n

Sergio: There were always certain difficulties, different countries, different dynamics in schools and social life, but it was positive. We were together as a family and it gave them some interesting life skills. The boys speak four or five languages, have played for several clubs and have experienced different cultures, from Italy, Belgium, Greece\u2026 They used it as a strength and as something they had to respect.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Father and son doing media duties together at Porto (Adrian Dennis \/ AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Francisco: My childhood was mostly abroad because of his career. First in Milan and Rome, then Portugal. In Belgium at Standard. We lived in Greece. Dad played for PAOK and I was in the youth (team) there. So, I was always experiencing different cultures and different football. It helped to form me. My passion for football started young because we had deep football roots in my family. I think I learned a lot more than just being in one place. More positives than negatives for me. I know that not everyone had the luck that I\u2019ve had since being a little boy.<\/p>\n

Are your footballing styles as a family all the same?<\/p>\n

Sergio: Of my sons, Sergio (Jnr) is a right-back, Moises is a right winger, Rodrigo is a right winger and Francisco is too, like me. We all play on the right, but we\u2019re all different. Francisco is left-footed and has a different style to mine; he thrives in situations where the defence is off balance. He\u2019s got character. I was more of a crosser; wingers didn\u2019t play on their weaker foot back then. Nowadays, wingers cut inside to try and get a shot away. I was right-footed and played on the right, but I scored a lot with my left foot.<\/p>\n

Francisco: We have a lot in common \u2014 I watched a lot of videos of Dad. He was incredible. And he did all that after a very difficult childhood. His father worked on building sites. During the holidays, Dad helped his father there and at the market. He grew up in a very modest family facing financial difficulties. He now has a stadium named after him in Taveiro, Coimbra, near where he grew up.<\/p>\n

Dad and I had similarities as players. Being aggressive on the pitch, not losing duels, being quick, wide, dribbling, explosive, crossing \u2014 Dad with both feet. Dad was robust for a winger. Genetics have played their part.<\/p>\n

I love the one-on-one, the dribble, to create, to unbalance the opponent. These are the characteristics that define me as a player. I\u2019m irreverent, you don\u2019t know what I will do on the field. I have balance. I have to improve in everything to fulfil my potential.<\/p>\n

Sergio, how do you feel watching your son play for Portugal?<\/p>\n

Sergio: It\u2019s a huge source of pride and joy for me, because representing your national team is something every player in the world dreams of. I remember the goal at Euro 2024. I was there and saw that goal in the stadium, and it was incredibly moving. I\u2019ve always been a true-blue Portuguese. The national anthem used to move me, and now I\u2019m moved to see my son.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Cristiano Ronaldo congratulates Francisco Conceicao after scoring against Czech Republic at Euro 2024 (Christophe Simon\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know yet if I\u2019ll be able to see him at the World Cup in the United States, but if I can, I\u2019d really love to. Francisco is very close to the family, he always calls me before the matches, then calls his mum, his grandparents, his brothers and sisters \u2014 everyone. He tells us he\u2019s on his way to the dressing room. He always watches my matches, and when I lose, he gets really down. Last year, there was a difficult spell for me at Milan and he was down. He\u2019s very close to the family, and he suffers a lot for me and his brothers. Because of our jobs, we can\u2019t always watch him live, but we\u2019re always supporting him and happy with what he\u2019s doing at Juventus and for the national team, knowing that he\u2019s only 23 and can still go much further. Francisco has enormous potential.<\/p>\n

How do you feel about having so many footballers in your family?<\/p>\n

Sergio: I wish I could be an elastic man so I could be everywhere with my sons. We speak to them all several times a day, I follow everything as closely as possible. We live each other\u2019s lives to the fullest. I never pushed them to become players. Just as I didn\u2019t interfere with their studies, I always supported whatever path they chose to follow in a very fatherly way, as I would have done with any profession, always standing by them.<\/p>\n

We played a lot at home, all together. I always said that if they were as competitive at their clubs as they were at home, they\u2019d all be at the best club in the world. At home they play, they get angry, they cry, they\u2019re always getting annoyed, and I didn\u2019t even want them to play before dinner because I knew it would ruin the meal. Even today there\u2019s a pitch at my house near Coimbra, and the youngest, Ze, plays with his brothers. In the middle of the game he hits them and cries when he loses. He really enjoys playing with Francisco and Rodrigo, against Sergio and Moises.<\/p>\n

Francisco: My brothers all play football. The little one, who is 10, wants to become a player. My brothers made a lot of effort and commitment. I cheer for their victories like they are my own.<\/p>\n

You both moved a lot as players \u2013 with highlights. Francisco, you left Portugal for Ajax and now you are in Italy at Juventus\u2026<\/p>\n

Francisco: I moved from Sporting to Porto, the club of my heart and my family. Dad played there and managed there for a long time. It was the most important club in my formative years, the one where I made a first team for the first time in my life, with Dad as coach. From Porto, I moved to Ajax. I felt it was the right move for me. I\u2019d been a Portuguese champion. I wanted to evolve as a player.<\/p>\n

It didn\u2019t turn out as I\u2019d wished and I was only there for year. That only made me hungrier when I went back to Porto, to show how good I was. It was the right decision. I got into the Portuguese national squad.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Francisco Conceicao playing for Juventus this season (Marco Luzzani\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

I moved to Juventus in 2024. Again, the right step, a huge club and one in a phase that wants to get back to winning titles. Serie A is very tactical. For the forwards, it\u2019s a lot more difficult to score goals, a lot harder for your qualities to come alive. Teams play with a line of five at the back and the main thing is not to concede. But all this makes me a better player. I\u2019m happy at Juventus and my main objective is to win titles with Juventus.<\/p>\n

Sergio: I moved. It was worth it. There were many standout moments are all those that led us to our main aim \u2013 the matches that resulted in titles. I always think of the team\u2019s goals first. Now, there are one or two individual moments that stick in my memory, because of the context and the moment. I think my goal (for Lazio) in the Italian Super Cup against Zidane and Del Piero\u2019s Juventus \u2014 we won 2-1 at the old Juventus stadium and my goal decided the match. The three goals against Germany at Euro 2000, and the Golden Boot in Belgium as the best player of the season there. Then I\u2019d say all the matches that led to the 10 titles I won.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Sergio Conceicao celebrates with Lazio owner Sergio Cragnotti after winning the Coppa Italia (Claudio Villa \/Allsport<\/p>\n

And the most difficult moments?<\/p>\n

Sergio: The disappointment of losing a league title and those matches that led to the loss of titles. I remember a great sense of sadness on that famous May 5 2002 with Inter. I think that was the most difficult moment: We had spent the entire league season in first place \u2014 I had a few injuries \u2014 but we were a great team and we lost the final match against Lazio and lost the league to Juventus.<\/p>\n

And what about your career as a manager, Sergio?<\/p>\n

Sergio: My first league title at FC Porto (2017-18) as a very special moment. It ended Benfica\u2019s four-year winning streak. As a player, I helped Porto win five league titles in a row, the most successful streak in the club\u2019s history, and as a manager I won three league titles with Porto, the latter being the 30th in the club\u2019s history. These moments represent the culmination of hard work and passion.<\/p>\n

And there are difficult moments as a manager: one defeat or another always leaves its mark. I won 70 per cent of the finals I took part in. There were some finals I lost, and it was almost always on penalties. Losing to Sporting at Jamor (the Estadio Nacional, where the Portuguese Cup final takes place) twice on penalties, the first while managing SC Braga and the second with FC Porto \u2013 those were painful. It\u2019s mostly the penalties\u2026<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Sergio Conceicao celebrating the league title at Porto (Miguel Riopa\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

How do you both rate the current Portugal squad and their prospects for the World Cup?<\/p>\n

Sergio: The expectation for a team of such quality is to go as far, to reach the knockout stages. That enthusiasm and that pressure isn\u2019t easy to manage either. But the technical quality of the team is exceptional; they have everything it takes to go far in the tournament. However, in these short tournaments, we know that the ball hitting the post and going in, or hitting the post and going out, makes all the difference. Whilst there are teams with a richer history, with the quality we have, we can have an excellent World Cup.<\/p>\n

Francisco: So many top players. Bruno Fernandes is an incredible player, for what he does for United and the national team. He can help us a lot with his leadership and his unique characteristics and hopefully win it. I have a positive relationship with Cristiano, who is the first to give advice on what to do. Given who he is, he deserves full attention. I\u2019m just happy to be in a dressing room with him, but he teaches me things about life away from football. The importance of family. Nutrition. How to live life. To recover your body. You have to make a lot of sacrifices to be at the top level.<\/p>\n

Which is the best generation, your Portugal 2000 side or the current one?<\/p>\n

Sergio: The best is the one that wins. This one has won the Nations League twice and already won a European Championship in 2016. It\u2019s not all the same players, but players like Ronaldo and Pepe have already won titles. I, Figo, Rui Costa, Vitor Baia, Paulo Sousa, Fernando Couto and others could\u2019ve won Euro 2000. I\u2019m convinced that had we not been knocked out by France on a golden-goal penalty in the Euro 2000 semi-finals, we would have won that European Championship. I have no doubt. Many of those players had been under-20 world champions. We were a fantastic generation, but we didn\u2019t win. The best are always the ones who win.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Sergio Conceicao challenges Didier Deschamps of France at Euro 2000 (Shaun Botterill \/Allsport\/Getty)<\/p>\n

Francisco: I can only really speak for now. Individually, we are among the best teams in the world. Every player is in the best teams in Europe. The manager Roberto Martinez, who speaks very good Portuguese, tells us that we are good enough to win the World Cup, but we also know it depends on a lot of factors and we need some luck. We can win it and shouldn\u2019t be afraid to say that.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Francisco \u2018Chico\u2019 Conceicao, 23, is a Portuguese international, a winger with Juventus who will play against the United…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":575628,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[563],"tags":[132079,64,63,6257,126352,596,18943,19264,7722,10815,13198,85,274542],"class_list":["post-575627","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-football","tag-associazione-calcio-milan","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-champions-league","tag-fifa-mens-world-cup","tag-football","tag-international-football","tag-juventus","tag-portugal","tag-serie-a","tag-soccer","tag-sports","tag-us-mens-national-team"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/575627","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=575627"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/575627\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/575628"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=575627"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=575627"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=575627"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}