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Success Stories: Nacho Portela

When we asked him why he chose MBP, Nacho Portela replied: “At first, its contents caught my attention, but the way in which MBP made me feel part of its family from the first moment, I would say that it was what ended up convincing me to take the courses”.

After finishing the Master in High Performance Football, Nacho signed for Club América in Mexico as a scout for the first team, focusing on the South American leagues and South American players in Europe. In fact, a few months ago we held a joint Webinar, where we talked about the importance of training (studying) in today’s football, which you can see by clicking here.

Nacho Portela MBP Caso Exito

 

His comments about his experience at MBP are very valuable to us, so we want to share it with everyone here:

Why did you decide to follow the course in Barcelona?

When I was 18 years old I was lucky enough to visit different cities in Europe and Barcelona was by far the one I liked the most. I promised myself to come back and when I saw the MBP program, I knew it was the opportunity I was waiting for. The context was ideal for me, so the experience I had was great in every way.

 

How did the MBP course helped you develop your coaching/scouting skills?

I would reduce it to this: today I know that they are the famous “football bases”. When a team is doing poorly, it is normal to mention that you must “go back to basics” to get back on track. Before taking the MBP courses and master’s degrees, I really wasn’t clear about what that phrase meant, and today I am, which I consider to be extremely important to start your path in this sport. From then on, my skills have been improving, especially related to the perception and identification of situations in a game, which has been very good for me as a scout.

 

How has MBP helped you grow in your career?

It helped me a lot. I just wouldn’t be in the position I am in if I hadn’t studied at MBP.

 

How did the MBP course meet your expectations?

Honestly, it exceeded my expectations. You think you know a lot of things because you’ve seen so many games or experienced certain things on the pitch, but it’s really hard to organize all that information in your head. The contents of the courses are top and they help you with that.

 

What advice would you give future MBP students?

I would tell them to start the courses or the master’s degree with an open mind and to question everything, both what they knew before and the new knowledge that is being acquired. In the end, we all see football differently, which does not mean that one is good and the other is bad. Personally, I felt very identified with the content and methodology that MBP teaches. Today I continue to give new applications to everything I learned.

 

If you had to describe the MBP experience in 3 words, what words would you use?

Enriching, Unique, Family.

What do you think was the best moment of the course for you?

Studying the fundamentals and discussing them with the professors and classmates of the master’s degree was, without a doubt, what gave me the most knowledge and satisfaction.

 

What is the greatest achievement in your career to date?

Professionally speaking, being at Club América is something that I would have imagined achieving in the years to come, so I am very grateful that it was presented to me a year and a half ago. In the end, I do not consider that achievements are defined by where you are, but by the growth that you have day by day. And in that sense, I try to learn something new every day so that my path continues to rise.

 

How would you define yourself as a coach/scout?

I don’t know if there is any word that defines me, but I do try to be methodical and very attentive to detail. As a scout, I have had to keep up with several leagues in South America and Europe, following many players and making reports, so I give great importance to having all the information, both quantitative and qualitative, well structured for when it is required.

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