“I’m Not Going To Give Up”: Rui Duarte Reflects on Losing Son and New Journey in Brazil
It has been a fantastic decade for Athletic Club. Founded in 1909, the Brazilian club spent over a century competing in amateur and local state leagues before resuming professional operations in 2018, when it entered the Segunda Divisão Mineiro. The Esquadrão de Aço quickly ascended from Minas Gerais’ third division to the Brazilian second tier in 2024, avoiding relegation by four points in their first-ever season in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série B. And on Sunday, they will return to action after seven weeks and face off against América-MG in the opening match of the 2026 Campeonato Mineiro.
“The main objective is to improve on what we did last season,” stated Athletic manager Rui Duarte in an exclusive R.Org interview. “We have to work very, very hard from day one, and that message has already been passed on to the players. Obviously, players are still arriving and we don’t yet have our squad finalized, but we’ll have to work hard to improve on what we did last season. We can’t bite off more than we can chew; we have to be very realistic and understand who we are. The reality makes us demand a lot from our players, plan very well, and make good decisions, so that we can be better than we were in 2025.”
Cutting his Teeth as a Player
Born on September 16, 1978, Duarte was 11 years old when he joined Belenenses’ academy, rising through the ranks before eventually deciding to leave his hometown of Lisbon and start a new journey in the Algarve in 1997. Keen for regular game-time, Duarte developed his skills at Olhanense and then Dragões Sandinenses in Vila Nova de Gaiva, only to return to Belenenses in 1999 and make 31 appearances for Os Azuis do Restelo. Duarte then dropped down to the Portuguese second tier in 2003, bouncing around from Associação Naval 1º de Maio to Leixões SC, before joining top-tier Estrela de Amadora in 2005, where he enjoyed a resurgence in form with four goals and two assists in 23 appearances. After just one year in Amadora, Duarte headed back to Olhanense and became an indispensable figure in midfield for Os Leões de Olhão, earning the captain’s armband during his time at the Estádio José Arcanjo.
The apotheosis of Duarte’s footballing career came in 2009, when he guided Olhanense back to the Liga de Honra title and returned them to the top division after a 35-year drought. With Duarte running the show in the center of the pitch, Olhanense were able to punch above their weight and remain in the top-flight before finally succumbing to relegation in 2014; today, they’re playing in Portugal’s fifth tier. Duarte would score 31 goals and 13 assists in 219 appearances before eventually rescinding his contract and heading across the Algarve with fellow second-tier outfit Farense.
After just a few months in Faro, Duarte decided to hang up his boots in the summer of 2015, calling it quits on an 18-year playing career that had seen him hold his own against Portuguese footballing icons like Radamel Falcao, Pablo Aimar, Mario Járdel, Hulk, Jorge Costa, and Nicolás Gaitán. He remained put at the Estádio de São Luís, serving as Lázaro Oliveira’s assistant before taking the reins in April 2017; one year later, he led Farense to promotion to the second division after beating U.D. Vilafranquense on penalties in the semi-finals.
“Whenever a player’s career ends, he’s always going to have issues if he doesn’t mentally prepare for the future. Little by little, I began to realize that I enjoyed playing so much, I enjoyed training so much, I knew that I wanted to remain connected with football after retirement, but I didn’t know what role it would be. I enjoyed playing so much that I believed that, as a director, I would fall a little short of what was truly my passion: the game. That’s when I started taking coaching courses in the last years of my playing career and quickly began to realize that this was what I wanted to do.”
“I had a great passion for coaching, I loved coaching and playing at the same time. Being a coach is somewhat rewarding, it’s not the same, but it compensates for that longing to be a player. It’s very difficult; there are footballers who play for two decades and then switch off and don’t want anything to do with football, and there are others who want to be involved in football, be that as agents or directors or presidents. For me, from an early age I realized I wanted to coach. I wanted the passion of coaching, which was what motivated me to stay involved in football.”
Making the Transition to Management
Duarte resigned from his post in February 2019, returning to the Portuguese capital and taking charge of second-tier Casa Pia in October, where he lasted just nine matches in charge before quitting. And after a year-long hiatus, Duarte took charge of C.D. Trofense and guided them to the 2020/21 Campeonato de Portugal title courtesy of an extra-time goal by Keffel against his former side Estrela. However, Duarte would hand in his resignation in November 2021 with the club 14th in the Segunda, spending just seven months out of work before taking charge as the manager of Braga’s U-23 side.
When Artur Jorge made the move to Brazilian powerhouse Botafogo, Duarte was chosen as his successor and took charge of Braga’s first team on April 3, 2024. It should have been the best month of his life, getting the opportunity of a lifetime and taking charge of Portugal’s fourth-most successful club after Benfica, Porto, and Sporting. Instead, it was the worst: on April 14, his son Gustavo Ferreira Duarte passed away. Born with a heart defect, Gustavo went through four different heart surgeries before finally succumbing to his chronic illness at 23 years of age.
“There’s nothing worse than losing a child. From that moment on, every day I live with pain, with sadness, with longing, but at the same time, with the strength that Gustavo left me. If I didn’t have that strength from him and my family, it would be difficult for me to move on. You can’t be a coach if you aren’t a strong leader who can motivate and teach and train your players, if you aren’t able to set the example and make your players believe that we will succeed. If you don’t have that determination, that motivation, that strength as a leader, you have to give up.
Your players need you to feel that you believe strongly, that you are the leader …if you don’t have that, it’s better to give up. In reality, we only don’t have Gustavo physically, because he’s with us every day. That’s what prevents us from giving up. I’m not going to give up. I feel a lot of strength giving the training sessions, I feel a lot of motivation preparing for games, because of him, because I know he’s with me every day.”
“I have to deal with the pain of not being able to hug him, or see him, or smell him…that’s very difficult and sad. But at the same time, I know that he’s watching me. I know he’s here with me. I know he’s with me every day, and that’s what gives me the strength to keep going and to get up every day. Getting out of bed every day, leaving home early to come to work eager to motivate others, it’s very hard.
People sometimes don’t realize how difficult it is to bear this pain, but you must have the strength to motivate others. Until now, until today, I believe that this motivation, this strength, will continue because I remember my son every day. He’s always on my mind, the force he possessed, the force of nature, that he was. The motivation he had despite the problems that he faced. He was always striving for improvement and always with a smile on his face, and that’s why I can’t give up. I have to always stay strong and determined. I will continue my life motivating others, but above all, honoring my son and my family.”
Rising Above Tragedy in Brazil
In spite of this unspeakable tragedy, Duarte continued in his interim role at Braga, guiding them to three wins, three losses, and a fourth-place finish before taking charge of second-tier Marítimo in October 2024. At the time, Marítimo were coming off a fourth-place finish in their first season outside the top division since 1984/85, narrowly missing out on a promotion playoff spot, but they had suffered a turbulent start to the 2024/25 season, which saw Fábio Pereira and Silas receive their marching orders. Duarte didn’t fare much better, overseeing six losses in nine matches before being dismissed on January 6.
Desperate for a fresh new start, he decided to depart his homeland for the first time in his life, leaving his wife and son Afonso – currently playing for Braga B – and commencing a new journey in South America. After Jorge Jesus, Renato Paiva, Abel Ferreira, Duarte became the latest Portuguese manager to ply his trade in Brazil after taking charge of Athletic Club on June 4, 2025.
All signs pointed to the Steel Squadron tumbling back down to the third tier after a horrendous start that saw them lose nine of their first 11. Instead, Duarte was able to steady the ship; after losing his opening match at Amazonas, he guided them to five wins from six and started to instill a tactical identity in the team. Now, he’s looking to build on his impressive start and deliver an even better 2026 for the club.
“We’re going to fight to win every game, whether it’s against the best team away from home, whether it’s against Fortaleza, Ceará, Sport, Juventude, or any other team at home, we will always try to go in and achieve the three points. Of course, there will be times when we lose, because we’re not going to be the best team, and we have to understand this. There will be times where people expect us to lose, and we end up winning because we worked hard to deserve these victories.
We will always fight for the three points, but our expectations have to be balanced. Doing better than last year and having a more relaxed season than last year is a good goal for us to pursue. Who knows, maybe we’ll surpass the 50-point mark, and that will allow us more time to improve and prepare for 2027.”