RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- New Flamengo boss Domenec Torrent said Monday that his decade-long spell as an assistant to Pep Guardiola has provided him with the ideal preparation to manage Brazil's biggest club.
The 58-year-old spoke glowingly of the current Manchester City manager in his first press conference as Flamengo's head coach.
"I'm very grateful [to Guardiola]. It was important to spend those 10 years with him, for his friendship and knowledge. When you are with the best in the world, you learn a lot," Torrent said.
The Spaniard faced the media just hours after arriving in Rio de Janeiro to replace Portuguese Jorge Jesus, who quit on July 17 to return to his former club Benfica.
A member of Guardiola's backroom staff at Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester City, Torrent parted ways with his fellow Catalan in June 2018 to take charge of New York City.
He left the Major Soccer League club last November after amassing a club record 64 points in the 2019 Major Soccer League season, securing a place in the CONCACAF Champions League.
Torrent revealed that he consulted Guardiola before accepting the Flamengo position.
"When he heard about Flamengo's interest he just said, don't let it pass," Torrent said. "It's one of the biggest clubs in the world. That was something that encouraged me a lot."
Flamengo won six trophies in Jesus's 13 months at the club, including last year's Brazilian Serie A title and the Copa Libertadores.
The Brazilian Serie A season is due to begin on August 8, three months behind its original schedule because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Copa Libertadores - South America's top club competition - will resume on September 15, having been suspended in mid-March as the global health crisis escalated.
"I am very happy to be part of this great club. When it comes to Flamengo in Europe, everyone knows that it is one of the biggest clubs in the world. It is very important to keep winning. It's like that at Flamengo, Barcelona, at all of the top clubs," Torrent added. Enditem
