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It was 2004. It was the old Condomina Stadium and the post-match press conference after La Liga leaders Real Madrid were bizarrely beaten by a team already relegated to Segunda division. Whereas the former Real Madrid manager, John Toshack - brought in late in the season by the President of Murcia to help them avoid relegation - was not lost for words. His team had done magnificently despite having nothing to fight for in terms of points On the other hand the incumbent Madrid boss was lost for sensible words and coherent phrases. All rather frightening. In fact w worse than the proverbial deer in the headlights and with that loss extinguishing Madrid’s mathematical hopes of winning La Liga.
A title that seemed within touching distance only four games previously. But a loss of twelve points had reopened the chase for their rivals. With few journalists questions Carlos Queiroz left the room as quietly as he had entered only to pass Raul inundated with microphones and flashing cameras. After all the EURO Championships were starting within weeks and Spain fancied their chances in Austria and Switzerland.
On his return to Madrid Queiroz’s two year contract was ended by Real Madrid and Sir Alex Ferguson was then delighted to bring him back to Old Trafford. And even today Queiroz is praised in Ferguson's tome, My Autobiography, and seemingly one of the names that also fancies managing the Republic of Ireland.
But that match in Murcia was memorable for many reasons. Not just Queiroz's ghostly post-match gig, but by the game itself which saw David Beckham get himself sent off for swearing at one of the referee's assistants shortly after Murcia were awarded a penalty. The tension perhaps understandable as Madrid’s were heading for a fourth successive defeat, after having led the table by a very comfortable margin only weeks previous.
The outcome almost and inevitability once Madrid went behind after two minutes when Luis Garcia tapped home for Murcia after Iker Casillas fumbled a Jose Luis Acciari's header. By this stage it was like the title was just being gifted to Rafa Benitez and Valencia, and with that early error the frustration of the Madrid players became more palpable in the compact stadium. And as the action unfolded in front of us Beckham’s anger was also visible, so it was no surprise when he was red carded. Although not close enough to hear his exact syntax, the gesticulations alone indicated it wasn’t friendly banter.
The catastrophic end of the season and the overall collapse ended Queiroz's Real days and back at a United the club were no longer League Champions either. Having lost out to Arsenal in the 2004 season. The next year it was another Portuguese talent who was to lead the Premier League victory parades at Stamford Bridge, as Jose Mourinho delivered on his special promises to the Chelsea faithful.
However the return of Queiroz did go down well with all the workforce at United, and Roy Keane took it upon himself a number of times to criticise the returned Assistant on tactics and coaching. With a series of tirades that culminated with that infamous MUTV interview in 2005, which led to a showdown with his team-mates and precipitated within weeks his departure from United. The points about Queiroz perhaps the most valid given the Mozambique born coach had never progressed beyond his home nation as player, and had a mixed career before arriving at United as a first team coach.
Not helped in Keane's view no doubt as a failed Real Madrid Manager.
But it was working for the Portugal Football Federation as Under-20 coach that Queiroz made his name winning the FIFA Youth Championships in 1989 and 1991. But then again it could be argued he was the beneficiary of that great generation of Portuguesse players that included Luís Figo, Rui Costa, Fernando Couto, João Pinto, Jorge Costa and Vítor Baía.
Then in 2002 Queiroz replaced Steve McLaren at Old Trafford and after the new arrival had previously been coaching the national sides of UAE and South Africa. The plan was to just bring in a coach who could replicate work of McLaren and in his first year he did that and United won the Premier League. More evident though in time though was the start of a new approach to playing the game with Cristiano Ronaldo a vital part of that plan when he was signed by United in 2003.
When the Real Madrid experiment went wrong restoring the partnership with Ferguson was an ideal option for both me as United had won nothing in 2004, despite the temporary help sought from Walter Smith. In 2005 it was to be the same and the return of Queiroz would gave Ronaldo a coach who could teach and educate him to further his game. Allow also him to develop into a world class player for United, which he delivered on, until he was sold to Real Madrid in 2009.
Contrary to Keane’s views the years of the Alex-Carlos partnership stack up with three Premier League titles, League Cups, a second Champions League trophy and a few FA Cup Final appearances.
After United though his results were underwhelming and as manager of the Portuguese national team - the facts may support the Keane view - as his team struggled in the early group matches for the 2010 World Cup finals. Faced with Sweden, Denmark and Albania, it was only at the end the team did enough to earn a play-off spot against Bosnia-Herzegovina where Queiroz won both home and away legs. In South Africa the path was blocked only by Brazil as North Korea and the Ivory Coast were overcome to land a last sixteen battle with Spain after finishing second in the group. But losing to the eventual World Cup winners, Spain by one goal.
Soon after his return from the 2010 World Cup Queiroz four year was terminated half way through the deal signed in 2008, escalated by a damning drug testing furore of his own making. Queiroz was suspended for six months after the country's Sports Institute ruled that he disrupted an anti-doping test ahead of the World Cup.
The institute, which governs the National Anti-Doping Agency, said an inquiry found that Queiroz insulted an anti-doping team sent to test the Portugal squad before the tournament in South Africa and that his aggressive behaviour disrupted their work. In 2011 the Court of Arbitration for Sport overturned the ban and ruled his conduct had not "disturbed the sample collection process or the work of the anti-doping officers".
Albeit the panel did brand his behaviour "unacceptable".
At time Sir Alex Ferguson flew to Lisbon to speak as a character witness for his former assistant and said after appearing at a Portuguese Football Federation hearing: ‘Carlos is one of the good guys.’
Queiroz is currently manager of Iran and has qualified them for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
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