Nottingham Forest’s goalkeeper coach injured himself during the goal celebration against Brentford. Rui Barbosa needed six stitches after hitting his head on the coaching bench.
Nottingham Forest started the 2025/26 season in style with a clear 3-1 win over Brentford at the City Ground on Sunday. For Forest’s goalkeeping coach Rui Barbosa, however, it was a day to forget – but maybe he has already done it.
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After Chris Wood opened the scoring after just five minutes, Barbosa celebrated wildly and jumped from his seat – only to hit his head straight into the coach’s bench, leaving him bleeding heavily.
The Portuguese coach was quickly taken care of by medical personnel. Forest head coach Nuno Espirito Santo revealed after the game that Barbosa needed stitches to sew up a significant cut on his head.
“He got six stitches!” said Santo. “It was an ugly one. A serious one. He was dizzy.”
As for the rest of the game – where Forest led 3-0 at half-time thanks to a double from Wood and a stunning header from summer signing Dan Ndoye – Santo was undoubtedly thrilled.
“I’m delighted,” he said after the game. “The way we started the game was fantastic. We played well, we dominated, we controlled the goal in the first five minutes, which calmed down the team and the energy in the stadium.”
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One thing is for sure: Barbosa definitely felt that energy – and the sharp end of the coaching bench – more than most.
