For the first time since the 1995/96 Champions League, Legia Warsaw will play in a European quarter-final on Thursday night.
Premier League giants Chelsea await them, live on talkSPORT, thanks to a UEFA Conference League run led by a hugely passionate coach.
Goncalo Feio may be an unfamiliar to the wider world of football due to his touchline career that very much remains in its early stages.
The Portuguese boss is a former Benfica and Belenenses youth star and started his coaching education whilst at the University of Lisbon.
An internship at Benfica’s academy to work at various age levels soon arose before a student exchange programme sent him on his travels.
Feio moved to Warsaw in 2010 and joined Legia, the record 15-time Ekstraklasa champions and 20-time Polish Cup winners as of the time of writing.
After working in the academy, he was promoted to first-team duties in analyst and then assistant roles prior to a 2015 departure.
Other assistant positions followed at Polish rivals Wisla Krakow, Greek club Xanthi and back to Poland with Rakow Czestochowa ahead of his first senior management task in 2022.
Feio’s big break came at Polish top-tier side Motor Lublin and, like many of Portuguese decent, taking inspiration from a managerial icon.
Jose Mourinho, a Champions League winner at Porto and Inter Milan, is regarded as one of the all-time great coaches in world football.
“For me, the big guy was Jose Mourinho,” Feio told The Athletic. “He had a huge impact on my generation as a coach.
“The person, at least in Portugal, who brought coaching to a science, to a methodology, to leadership, to the holistic approach you need. He inspired so many people and opened so many doors.”
Mourinho was also a massive success at Feio’s next opponents Chelsea having won three Premier League titles amongst other honours.
“Because of that, Chelsea were always present in the thoughts of Portuguese football and in Portuguese people and in my football life,” Feio added when reflecting on his compatriot’s Blues stints.
“The Premier League is the best in the world and English football is the most representative of what football should be. So for us to play against Chelsea is huge.”
At the age of 35, Feio is the second-youngest Conference League manager behind 33-year-old Adrian Siemieniec of Jagiellonia Bialystok.
But despite his career only taking off three years ago, he’s already been involved in drama both on and off the pitch.
According to a club statement from Motor Lublin via Lublin24, Feio allegedly ‘referred vulgarly’ to spokesperson Paulina Maciazek in 2023.
Maciazek is then said to have refused to lead their post-match press conference with the manager in attendance.
Feio carried out his media duties before a confrontation with club president Pawel Tomczyk and threw a ‘document box’ at him.
Tomczyk suffered a head injury and was hospitalised, with the then Motor Lublin coach punished by the Poland Football Association.
He was given a two-year ban, suspended for one year, and then had to write a written apology to both Maciazek and Tomczyk.
It was then revealed in October that he had been charged for causing minor bodily harm and making criminal threats to the president.
Feio left Motor Lublin in March 2024 and moved to Legia a month later, with another controversial moment following soon after.
After their Conference League third qualifying round win at home against Brondby, he directed obscene gestures to the away fans.
However, the coach said it was in response to the behaviour shown by Brondby fans in the first leg towards his team.
“I know that it’s easiest to criticise me because I already have a label,” he said in a press conference as per Flashscore. “I’m used to it.
“It’s a pity that no one saw the behaviour of the opponent towards us at the match in Denmark.
“No one saw how they provoked. This is a problem, we should fight it. We are not worse than anyone.
“We maintain great class as long as someone respects us. If someone does not respect you, it cannot be accepted.”
Feio was given a suspended one-match ban by UEFA before securing a shock 1-0 win over Real Betis at the start of the league phase.
Legia won four of their six fixtures to qualify for the last 16 in which they knocked out Molde with a 4-3 aggregate victory.
Next up is Chelsea, the two-time Champions League winners who have dominated their debut Conference League campaign.
Enzo Maresca’s side remain unbeaten across their eight matches in the competition thus far, scoring 29 goals and conceding just six.
Chelsea are arguably the overwhelming favourites to lift the trophy at the final in Wroclaw, Poland on May 28.
They would become the first ever team to win all three of UEFA’s main club competitions.
But the quarter-finals come way before then, with the first leg set to provide a stunning atmosphere tonight at the Polish Army Stadium.
Legia fans provide an intimidating welcome with large tifos and flares to offer a stunning backdrop to the on-pitch action.
Chelsea return to Stamford Bridge for the second leg next Thursday as they eye a first European semi-final in four years.
Feio, however, will be tasked with halting their run and ensuring Legia become the first team to beat them in the Conference League.
