The down-to-earth philosophy comes from Pereira’s upbringing.
Growing up on the coast in Espinho, 10 miles south of Porto, he recalls the harsh conditions he endured which have shaped him.
“It was a very humble village with fishermen and we grew up on the street,” he said.
“Fighting together, fighting for the space. Competing and fighting. But this is what I have inside of me. This is the power.
“My house was 50 metres from the beach. At the time my father didn’t have money so we lived ‘underground’.
“The sea, in the winter, came strong, without barriers. Every winter, for three months, there was water inside. We had to rebuild the house. Every time there was water in the walls and a bad smell. I felt ashamed because my clothes smelled.
“You felt wet every time, that was our life.
“[Yet] I was a very happy teenager at the time because in this kind of community we have the confident guys together. When I look back, this power I feel inside of me came from this time.”
His playing career, Pereira readily admits, was underwhelming. He played as a midfielder for lesser-known Portuguese clubs Avanca, Oliveirense, Esmoriz, Estarreja, Fiaes and Sao Joao de Ver and retired at 28.
Yet it was enough to help put him through a sports course at the University of Porto, as he finished second in his class while completing his coaching qualifications.
“I had a career, it was in the third division in Portugal but I got the money to do my course, to go to the university, to buy my car, to buy my clothes,” he said.
“Since I was 16 years-old, I never asked for one euro from my parents. After 16, small jobs, to get money, to go to the discos.
“On Saturdays, I was a lifeguard on the beach. They paid me a lot of money. I saw the sun and I saved people.
“I was 18 and 19 at that time – no worries. I went to the university. I did some small jobs to get some money and I started to save. I’m now 56. But my sons will spend the money, don’t worry!”
His three sons are all in their 20s and Pereira, who always felt being a coach was his calling, does not want – or expect – them to follow him into football.
“The sacrifices you have to make. I don’t want this life for my sons,” he says.
“They cannot have a family life in this job. It’s impossible. We have a lot of moments where we suffer a lot and alone. I think we are always in a pre-depression.
“For me, the competition is like a drug. Passion and a drug. I cannot live without it because after one month I start to be nervous. I cannot enjoy nothing.”
