João Gião Officially Joins Nacional: 'Wanted, Tradition, and Soul'

João Gião has been unveiled as Nacional's new head coach for the 2026/27 season, making the leap from Sporting B to his debut in the top flight. "I want to thank the president for his trust in backing a coach coming from a lower division, who is young and lacks experience in the Liga, for giving me this opportunity. I am very happy and highly motivated to be here and to embark on this new adventure," he stated during his official presentation.

The 39-year-old coach outlined his reasons for accepting Rui Alves' invitation: "There were several factors. I had garnered some interest due to the fact that in the last two seasons, and in my debut as a head coach, we achieved significant objectives at my previous club. But a decisive factor here was the president's determination; he moved very quickly and made me feel wanted, confident, and comfortable. Nacional's tradition of investing in coaches with my profile – relatively young and with little to no top-flight experience, providing them with conditions for success – also weighed heavily on my decision. And the club itself, with its soul. I remember that moment in Tondela, under a downpour with many Nacional supporters present, which left a mark on me. I felt there's soul and grit in this club, and I appreciate clubs like that."

After three seasons with Tiago Margarido at the helm, the new coach indicated what he might bring differently to Nacional. "The president won't get a copy of the past, although I deeply respect Nacional's recent past and what was achieved with great merit by Coach Tiago (Margarido). I will be myself, with my virtues and my flaws, but with my own ideas. I have a very particular playing philosophy, and every time we change context and club, we have to adapt it to the new reality and the new league. However, I won't stop being myself. From what you saw of my previous team, you can expect many similar things. In terms of personality traits, leadership, and communication, I will be myself, and that alone will be a change," he affirmed.

João Gião promises "character, soul, and dedication" and that the black and white faithful will see themselves reflected in the team. "We'll aim to achieve our proposed objectives, survival above all else. And a team that the fans can identify with, one with character, soul, and dedication – that's also fundamental for me. For the fans to feel they have someone out there representing them well, regardless of the difficult periods we will surely face. But in all moments, positive or negative, people should see themselves in the spirit and attitude that we cannot abandon. That is my biggest commitment: to ensure that the starting eleven and those who come on later will never let their people down," he pledged.

The coaching staff is already defined, with four members joining Gião. However, it cannot be fully disclosed yet because one of them "is still tied up with contractual issues." In total, five individuals will accompany me from outside. Four are completely finalized, and the other is 99% done. But as that 1% is important in football, I don't want to jump the gun. But it will be resolved in the coming hours," he assured.

Rui Alves, Nacional's president, likened the decision to appoint João Gião to choosing a wife. "It's the same question I'd ask you about what you saw in your wife to marry her," he said, regarding the reasons for the choice. "Those of us within the sport naturally try to monitor what happens in different leaderships and also the club's profile in this regard. It's true that the coach mentioned and thanked us for the choice, but I hope that, in the end, the coach can say 'I chose well.' This has been part of Nacional's more recent history: coaches, when they finish their cycle, feel they made a good choice when signing their contract. But, like everything, like choosing our wife, it's a risk, and it's somewhat similar. It's a risk for him and it's a risk for us, and it's in taking risks that solid and successful structures are built," he explained.

The director hopes that in 2026/27, Nacional can perform slightly better than in the season that just concluded, and dreaming beyond mere survival is not forbidden. "Dreaming is inherent to the human condition, until artificial intelligence comes to disrupt it. Naturally, we always dream that the next season will be a little better. I even thought that in the season we just finished, we would be in a process of consolidating our presence in the league a bit higher up, which didn't happen, and naturally, that is part of the objectives. If the coach can make Nacional 2026/27 a little better than 2025/26, he certainly won't reject that opportunity, especially since it's part of the process," he stated.