Cristiano Ronaldo has led the tributes to former Sporting Lisbon recruitment coach Aurelio Pereira, who scouted himself and other leading Portuguese players.
Sporting announced Pereira had died at the age of 77 on Tuesday.
Pereira played for the club and later returned as coach following a spell at rivals Benfica.
In 1988, Pereira created Sporting’s recruitment and training department, which he headed up, going on to discover and help develop young talent such as Ronaldo, Luis Figo and Nani.
Portugal’s successful Euro 2016 squad featured 10 players Pereira had helped to discover, with the team nicknamed the ‘Aurelios’.
Ronaldo joined Sporting at the age of 12 from Nacional and went on to sign for Manchester United in 2003 – winning the Premier League and Champions League before later successful moves to Real Madrid, Juventus and Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia.
“One of the greatest symbols of world training has left us, but his legacy will live on forever,” Ronaldo wrote in a post on Instagram with a photograph of himself alongside Pereira and another of Pereira displaying Ronaldo’s youth player ID card.
“I will never stop being grateful for everything he did for me and for so many other players. Until forever, Mr Aurelio, thank you for everything. Rest in peace.”
Former United and Portugal winger Nani added on his social media: “You were a great friend, an excellent human being, who gave me good and important advice. I’ll never forget everything I learned from you, my friend.”
— Sporting CP (@SportingCP) April 8, 2025
Sporting named the main pitch at the club’s academy after Pereira in 2012.
“He was a master in his field and a person everyone agreed upon,” a club statement read.
“He will forever be remembered as one of the greatest names in the history of national football and, above all, in the history of Sporting Clube de Portugal.”
