The upcoming Campeonato Brasileiro 2023 is currently scheduled to have an astonishing eight Portuguese managers in place, after Pepa was confirmed as new boss of Cruzeiro.
Former Paços Ferreira and Vitória de Guimarães coach Pepa has signed a contract valid for one season in Belo Horizonte, where he is charged with the task of guiding Cruzeiro upon their return to the top flight.
“Pepa is a coach with a lot of potential,” said the club’s sporting director Pedro Martins in a statement. “In conversations deep in the selection process, Pepa made it clear that Cruzeiro would be a big step in his career and he understood the project in detail.
“During the process we knew some principles were fundamental. A coach who identified Cruzeiro as a great career opportunity, with a method and ability to understand the club's project, someone who would come in and work in the collective building rather than being the owner of the project.
“Pepa is a coach with energy, very interesting leadership skills and very studious. He has a lot of knowledge of Brazilian football. He has studied Cruzeiro a lot, all the possibilities, the squad, even from afar.”
Pepa, 42, will be at the club’s training facilities on Thursday to meet the players and conduct his first media duties. He will be joined by assistants Samuel Correia and Hugo Silva, along with Pedro Oliveira (physical trainer) and Pedro Azevedo (performance analyst).
A former striker who briefly appeared for Benfica in the late 1990s, Pepa forged a promising reputation as a coach in Portugal after guiding both Paços and Vitória to European qualification. He becomes the second Portuguese manager in Cruzeiro’s history, after Paulo Bento’s brief stint in 2016.
Current Brazilian champions Palmeiras are led by the most recognisable Luso coach in Brazilian football: Abel Ferreira. The ex-Braga boss has enjoyed great success in the country, including winning back-to-back Copa Libertadores titles, leading to speculation that Abel could be a strong contender for the Brazil national team job.
Portuguese coaches for Brasileirão 2023, beginning April 15th
Abel Ferreira (Palmeiras)
Vítor Pereira (Flamengo)
Renato Paiva (Bahia)
Pedro Caixinha (RB Bragantino)
António Oliveira (Coritiba)
Ivo Vieira (Cuiabá)
Luís Castro (Botafogo)
Pepa (Cruzeiro)
By Sean Gillen
