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Benfica re-appoint Jorge Jesus

After weeks of speculation, it’s official. Jorge Jesus, Benfica’s most successful manager of the 21st century and the man credited with taking the club back to the top of Portuguese football, has been appointed head coach of the Lisbon club for the second time.

Jesus, who turns 66 next week, has left Flamengo after a glorious 13 months in Brazil, winning five trophies with a scintillating style of football. However, the calamitous health situation in Brazil is thought to have been a major factor behind Jesus deciding to return to Portugal, after initially pledging his immediate future to the Mengão. 

Jesus’ first spell at Benfica, between 2009 and 2015, brought the Lisbon club three Portuguese championship titles in six seasons (the club had won the league only once in the previous 15 years), and a total of 10 trophies and two Europa League finals, before he sensationally walked out to join cross-town rivals Sporting.

Three years later Jesus left Sporting in the wake of the Alcochete attack and headed for the Middle East. But the veteran coach bounced back to prominence when he signed for Brazilian giants Flamengo and subsequently led the Rio de Janeiro club to its greatest ever season, winning the national championship, the Copa Libertadores and running Liverpool close in the Club World Cup final.

The Coronavirus pandemic has hit South America hard, in particular Brazil, bringing the continent’s major club competition into doubt. Meanwhile Benfica’s spectacular collapse in 2020, including an unprecedented poor run of results of 3 wins in 15 games, relinquishing the title to fierce rivals FC Porto, has led the club to look for a new coach.

The cards had fallen into place for Jesus to return to the Estádio da Luz, and tonight it came to pass.

Flamengo released a statement at approximately 10.20 pm Lisbon time, announcing that the club and coach had parted ways.

 

“In the name of the board and the 42 million Flamengo fans that make it the most supported club in the world, our deepest gratitude to Jorge Jesus and his coaching team for everything that was achieved and our wish is that they continue to enjoy the enormous success they had with us.”

Less than an hour later, Benfica officially announced that Jorge Jesus had been appointed as their new coach. 

 by Tom Kundert