Carlos Carvalhal has revealed the story behind his lucky jacket that is helping Swansea City climb away from the relegation zone.
The Swansea City manager flashed open the lining of his suit jacket after the victory over Sheffield Wednesday last week to reveal an embroidered message – “Carlos had a dream”.
It was a reference to a song the Wednesday fans used to sing about their former boss, before he left the club in late December and went on to join the Swans.
But the tailor who stitched in the message was not a Yorkshireman, but a Portuguese from Carvalhal’s home town of Braga.
Carvalhal says: “Where does Carlos had a dream come from?
“It is from a song the Sheffield Wednesday fans sang about me, but I must tell you I did not ask for that.
“I buy my clothes in one shop in my home city of Braga. The guy there is very creative, he offered me some shoes on my birthday and he had put ‘Carlos had a dream’ on them’.
“I bought a suit from him, and inside – even though I did not ask for it – he had put ‘Manager, Carlos Carvalhal – Carlos had a dream’.
“But he did it himself. I am not a narcissist. I did not request it, it was a surprise for me.”
Whatever the origins of the jacket, the phrase, and the formal shoes, Carvalhal has had a dream few weeks since arriving at the Liberty Stadium.
Not only has he only lost twice in nine Premier League matches, his five victories – the latest the 4-1 destruction of West Ham on Saturday – and two draws have taken the club from bottom of the table to the current of 13th.
At the same time, Carvalhal has also won three FA Cup ties after replays to guide the club into the quarter-finals of the competition.
His overall record of just two defeats in 15 matches, with a team that had lost 11 of their previous 15, is nothing short of extraordinary.
“The dream is to be happy day by day, this is the most important thing, “says Carvalhal.
“Our challenge is not a dream, to stay in the Premier League is the challenge, not the dream. This is what I want, to have this opportunity.”
The transformation has altered perceptions at the Liberty Stadium – not least, those of the players themselves.
Midfielder Ki Sung-Yueng is out of contract in the summer and was expected to move on, whether or not the club stays in the Premier League.
Italian giants AC Milan as well as West Ham are keen on the classy Ki who was instrumental in giving the Hammers a tuning.
But Ki has revealed he may have a change of heart.
“There is a big possibility I could sign a new contract here,” said Ki who moved to the Liberty Stadium from Celtic five years ago for a bargain £6m.
“That’s why I can’t say what I am going to do after the season ends.
“I had a conversation with Carols in January because I wasn’t sure about my future with only six months left on my contract.
“We had a good chat and, because I am a professional, I promised him I would work hard to the end of the season.
“I don’t want to focus on any other teams. I want to make sure Swansea stay in the Premier League – that’s all I want to do.
“I am an honest guy. I don’t lie to anyone, the manager or my team mates. I gave him my promise that I would keep on working for him.
“I can’t predict my future. I am not sure if any teams will come in for me. After the season I have to think about that.”
Under the reign of King Carlos, Ki has been transformed from a shy shooter without a goal all season to a sharp shooter with two in back-to-back League games at home.
“I have more chance to go forward and the manager asked me to shoot more,” added Ki.
“That’s two goals in the last two home games and I want to score more before the end of the season.
“Since Carlos arrived everyone has had more confidence. He motivates us very well and tactically we know exactly what we have to do.
“He likes to play three at the back and we play better than when we were struggling earlier in the season.
“We know how to play this system, but it isn’t over yet. We still have nine games to go and we have to get more points.”