Pisco (Peru): Former Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas has admitted that driving in the gruelling Dakar Rally is an all together different ball game than executing the tactics in a football match from the touchline but said that his passion remains the same.
Villas-Boas, who has coached top English Premier League sides like Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur before helming the affairs of Chinese Super League side Shanghai SPIG, made his debut in the motorsport’s most gruelling endurance event behind the wheel of a Toyota Overdrive car here Saturday.
The Portuguese was celebrating his 40th birthday and also carrying a family tradition (his uncle Pedro Villas-Boas competed in the Dakar Rally in 1982 and 1984) by taking part in the 9,000km rally through Peru, Bolivia and Argentina.
“It (this rally) is a bit different (from football). Of course, there is a lot of teamwork (in both) that has to be done, with the mechanics, with the team management and the logistics and in the car also with the driver and co-driver and the car,” Villas-Boas said.
“You know these machines are strong but we need to take care of these machines to hold on for 15 days. My car has the Portuguese flag and I have no sponsorship but I want to raise awareness about my charity foundation,” the football coach added.
Villas-Boas is involved with charity projects in football through Laureus which is also being written on his car. “I’m 40 and it’s the 40th edition of Dakar,” said the Portuguese, who has also worked alongside the explosive Jose Mourinho at Porto.
A motor sport enthusiast, Villas-Boas was happy about being placed among top 50 after the first stage. “It went very well. I was a little bit anxious when I made the start but after that everything went very well. I am very happy. This is only my second time with a car in any sand dune. It is going to be more and more difficult but very happy that I made it to the upper 50 group among cars,” informed Villas-Boas.
“We spent the last six days before the rally in Morocco but not with the Toyota. With the Toyota, I had one day in Belgium and in Barcelona another day and in the shake down over here. The car is magnificent and I am very happy,” added the Portuguese.
Villas-Boas may not the first football figure to take his chances in the Dakar and it will be interesting to see how he fares when the rally ends January 20 at Cordoba in Argentina.
Agence France-Presse