Pontes had a long career with Sporting, experience with the Portuguese national team, with appearances at the European Championship (2012) and the World Cup (2014), and spells with Maritimo, Panetolikos, Ittihad, Debrecen, Jumilla, and Covilha.
Despite his motivation in his current role, in an exclusive chat with Flashscore, the Madeiran is keen to return to coaching.
Third season as technical director of Shanghai Shenhua. What is your assessment of this experience?
"The experience has been rewarding, very demanding and intense. Since my arrival two and a half years ago, a lot has happened, and significant progress has been made in various areas. The club's management changed in January 2023, and we joined in August 2023.
"We created the technical department, with decision-making responsibilities for all of youth football. The balance of these almost three years is that they have been intense, with a lot of work, many important decisions, satisfactory results, but still a long way to go."
What is the club like?
"China has a very different culture to Europe, and its football history is still very recent. Shanghai Shenhua was founded in 1993, unlike clubs in Europe that are over 120 years old. Shanghai Shenhua is a well-structured club with very strong values.
"It has a senior team that has already won a few trophies and fights every year to win the national title. It regularly participates in the AFC Champions League and usually sends several players to the national team. It has a tradition of training and invests in players from the academy. With the previous management and also with the pandemic, the club lost its organisation in various areas and its training centre showed signs of disrepair."
What were the objectives when you set up the technical department?
"With the formation of the technical department, responsibility increased, and the objectives were very clear: to train players for the first team and put players on the path to the national team.
"We started by building the multidisciplinary technical teams (coach, assistant coach, fitness coach, goalkeeper coach, analyst and physiotherapist) and training them, identifying talent in each youth team, defining a playing model suited to the size of the club, working on the ongoing training of coaches and training methodology.
"At the same time, we invested in recruiting players who could be an asset in the future and working on the most talented players. We set up the analysis and performance office, training physical trainers and analysts. The club has invested in acquiring materials and technological tools to improve the work carried out by the technical teams and to raise and monitor player performance.
"We have a resource management application that controls all the information on planning training sessions, matches and everything related to the players, the game and the coaches. We monitor training and games with 'Catapult' GPS from the under-15s to the under-21s.
"We have film cameras and various game analysis tools. Over the last two years, we've been able to take greater control of the process and identify and develop the most talented players. As a result, we've started to feature more regularly in the decisive stages of the various championships.
"We've increased the number of players in the national teams and, most importantly of all, in two years we've managed to debut four players in the first team, between the ages of 17 and 20, with two of them featuring regularly in the starting XI."
Are the conditions very different from those you found in Europe?
"Yes, they are. In 2025, we started renovation work on the training centre, with a great deal of involvement in drawing up and monitoring the technical department project. It's due to be finished in December 2026.
"The 11 pitches are being improved, with the creation of intensive training areas, lighting and a new watering system. Two gyms are being built, one for training and the other for professional football.
"All the players' accommodation, the restaurant and support structures are being renovated and others are being built. The mini-stadium is being renovated, and they are also building an indoor eight-a-side football pitch for training on winter days and to support all the teams.
"The football structure, technical department, medical department, administration and management will have new facilities equipped with the best conditions on the market. We want to make Shanghai Shenhua a benchmark club in terms of the quality of its facilities, the work carried out at youth level and a club that fights for titles."
What are the main differences between being a coach and a technical director?
"They are totally different positions in terms of the type of tasks to be carried out, the objectives to be met and the diversity of areas we have to cover. As far as team management values and principles are concerned, these are the same.
"In both areas, we set high standards, management is based on respect, straightforwardness and professionalism, the club's values are in all our actions, and we all want to fight to win and fulfil the objectives that have been proposed. In terms of operationalisation, we have significant differences.
"The coach has a hand in the game model for a team, in managing the players and the coaching staff. In addition, they have to plan training sessions and matches and constantly evaluate the results. The coach also has to manage the relationship and communication with the board, the press and the fans. The level of demand and evaluation is naturally based on the sporting results associated with the size of the club. The technical director has a much broader role, and should guide a club's entire football philosophy.
"They also have their own team to work with, coordinating various areas, both the technical teams at different ages and the players at all levels. It's a position that isn't so exposed to the outside world and the outcome of a football match, but it requires constant monitoring and looking for solutions to problems that come up every day.
"We're talking about managing seven technical teams, more than 200 players, several shared facilities, which requires advanced planning, constant preparation and adaptation. Preparing competitions for these teams also requires careful preparation in advance.
"Normally, most of the competitions are not regular, they are concentrated days spread throughout the year, and most of the time they take place outside of Shanghai, which requires travelling by plane, accommodation and meals, for a week or two of concentration, in groups of 30 people. The level of complexity and demand is very high for the entire structure and the technical department."
When we talk about Chinese football, we immediately think of the push that was made for big names, before the recent example of Saudi Arabia. How is Chinese football today?
"That gamble was very evident before the pandemic, from 2000 to 2019. Many high-performance players and coaches were recruited by clubs with government support. There was a lot of status and CV for these professionals, with salaries that challenged and surpassed the big clubs in Europe.
"It was an attempt to rehabilitate Chinese football, promoting the game with an increase in the quality of spectacles and, consequently, an increase in spectators and players. The clubs, supported by the government, invested in building training centres and quality stadiums, and football became more competitive and of higher quality, bringing fans to the stadiums.
"The Chinese people's passion for football was visible, which translated into an increase in players and a rise in competitions at various ages and in various cities across the country. However, even the clubs that won titles didn't make a financial return, which caused many clubs to go bankrupt.
"The investment made by the corporate clubs, many of which were associated with the government, did not pay off and did not cover their initial budgets. There was also a lot of corruption in the organisation, from managers, coaches and players. That said, just before 2019, investment dropped significantly, clubs lost the ability to recruit players and coaches with CVs, the pandemic hit, and football entered another phase of restructuring.
"These are growing pains for a country that has a lot of potential, but cultural differences and the way in which the process of growing players is viewed are limiting the development and sustained growth of talent and, consequently, of football.
"That said, the best model for football development has yet to be identified, for reasons to do with cultural factors, the lack of culture in football, the size of the country, the difficulties in organising competitive teams, the education system, which limits the practice of football, with many organisations deciding the path of players (education system, federations, associations, government) and also the business of football. It's not yet a profitable business that brings returns in the various areas involved."
'The Chinese player has a lot of talent'
Has the focus on established players given way to a focus on training Chinese players?
"Yes, there has been an attempt to focus on young players. You can see that the Chinese Football Association and the city federations are taking this on board, trying to find solutions and ways to develop Chinese football and make the most of the talent that exists.
"The Chinese player has a lot of talent, a lot of discipline and excellent competitive behaviour. There are many talented players between the ages of 10 and 15, but then those same players end up not making it and there is a lack of projects for those players between the ages of 15 and 20.
"It's very difficult for the strongest teams to recruit the best players. The best players don't train or play in the most competitive environments. There is a lack of protection for the most talented players. Clubs lose control of them very early on, leaving them largely in the hands of city federations, schools and the federation to guarantee competitive results, forgetting that they are players in training and not football professionals at the age of 15 and 16.
"It's difficult to see players between the ages of 17 and 23 playing regularly in the first league teams and in the main national team. At these ages, where it would be very important to have strong and regular competition, it's irregular and too uneven, which makes it less challenging and growth-enhancing.
"It's urgent to have a competition where young people between the ages of 18 and 22 can compete with adults, in order to bring professional football closer to youth football. I'm afraid that some of the measures being considered could increase this gap, which would be very damaging to football in the short term."
You worked in Sporting's youth system, and now you're in China. What differences are there between these two realities?
"From the point of view of facilities and conditions for football development, China is far ahead of our country, both for small and large clubs. There are training centres of excellence all over the country, whether in schools, clubs, city federations, the Chinese Football Association or private entities.
"From the point of view of internal organisation and the mechanisms that enhance and lead players to high performance, the difference is significant. In Portugal, and particularly at Sporting, we are better prepared and we have a very deep-rooted culture of youth football, the result of many years of mistakes, advances and setbacks, study and structures that have modernised to create knowledge, such as universities, associations, the federation, clubs and even private entities. We are very strong at developing young players, we have made a qualitative and quantitative leap in the creation of B teams and the under-23 league, and we are very competent at training coaches.
"All of this can be seen in the quality of the national player, competing in the best teams and the best leagues, and the Portuguese coaches who have shown their talent and ability across borders, not only in the best leagues, but also in smaller countries and in national teams.
"In conclusion, we are a small country, but from the Federation to the clubs, there is a purpose and a system that helps and develops young players. This interconnection between the education system, training and competition, as well as the recruitment and selection of talented players, means that, naturally, the talent visible at the youngest ages is developed into high performance, with the clubs making great use of their commitment to the first teams and the financial return that comes from the transfers of these players."
'Portugal has earned the respect of the football world'
You also played for the national team. How do you see Portugal's progress? Are they one of the favourites for the World Cup 2026?
"Representing the Portuguese national team was a great opportunity and a great source of pride. I feel privileged to be part of this elite of Portuguese football. I did my best with great professionalism and dignity. I learnt all about the workings of the national teams, the competitive frameworks, the various championships and working with the national team players, you end up learning more than teaching. It's been four years with participation in the European Championship and participation in the World Cup.
"They were unforgettable experiences and memories. At the moment, we have a team that has earned the respect of the football world. We're regularly in the decisive stages of major competitions. We've already won a European Championship and two Nations Leagues. And, most importantly of all, the world's great teams recognise and respect our history and our competence. Our team is made up of ambitious players who are used to fighting for titles.
"They've been in teams fighting for trophies since they were very young and are used to the pressure of big games. With a mix of young talent and mature players, we still have the best in the world, and we could be candidates to reach the decisive stage, which is the final.
"It's a very special competition that requires a great deal of harmony on and off the pitch in order to win. We're not favourites, but we're in the mix and with hard work, good preparation, and without creating problems, within the complexity that is a national team of this nature, we can dream.
"At crucial moments, we need to be cool-headed and warm-hearted, and the team leaders need to be committed to the common goal."
Who are the favourites?
"I think the favourites at the moment are Argentina, France, Germany, Spain and Brazil, with a second line of countries like Portugal, England and Italy playing a decisive role."
'I have an offer to renew for another two years'
What about Leonel Pontes as coach? Is that a thing of the past, or are you still considering a return to that role?
"I feel like a coach every day and I want to return to the pitch. I have as examples good coaches who have passed through this role and later had the opportunity to do great work at the highest level. I'm well prepared for the job. I've been playing football for 40 years.
"My life has been dedicated to football since I was eight years old. I never had any doubts that I wanted to follow this passion and I'm in it body and soul. Playing has always been my passion, although I haven't reached the top level of performance, but I've worked as a coach at one of the best training clubs in the world, I've been assistant coach, head coach, national coach, head coach in the first league of various countries, I've worked for two years in other lower divisions, different contexts, but most of all I've helped many young people to reach high performance, I've bet on and developed many young players and it was with the best that I learnt to be a better coach.
"I know that my chance will come. At the moment, my contract is coming to an end, but I've already been offered a renewal for another two years. I'm here, and I want to leave a job well done and help the young players and coaches at Shanghai Shenhua to have a career geared towards high performance. I want to leave a legacy at the club that will last for many years.
"But the opportunity to return to the field is always there. I don't want to end this interview without thanking the club for the professional opportunity it has given me, as well as the life experience of living and feeling in China and the city of Shanghai.
"Special thanks to Jose Pratas, who started this adventure over a year ago and who helped build the technical department with his experience and professionalism. Ricardo Sequeira, who joined the team this year and who, with his youth and irreverence, has added quality and new dynamics to the technical department."