Álvaro Adriano Teixeira Pacheco (born 25 June 1971) is a Portuguese professional football manager and former player who is the current head coach of the Primeira Liga club Vizela.

After achieving a total of 70 games in the second tier as a player, he worked as an assistant manager to Miguel Leal before managing in his own right at Fafe. Hired at Vizela in 2019, he achieved consecutive promotions to the Primeira Liga in his first two seasons.

Playing career

Born in Vila Cova da Lixa, Felgueiras, Pacheco is a product of the football academies of his local clubs Lixa and Felgueiras, while working as a locksmith with his father as a teenager. He started playing professional football with Felgueiras, having played 70 games in the second tier, and had spent most of his career in semi-pro leagues in Portugal. His first steps as a manager was in 2005 with Paredes, and got retired from playing football in 2007, at the age of 34.[1]

Coaching career

Pacheco began his coaching career with Lixa in 2011. Afterwards, he has been the assistant manager for Miguel Leal at Penafiel, Moreirense and Boavista, and with Filipe Ribeiro at Jonava in Lithuania.[1]

On 24 September 2018, Pacheco returned to work as a head coach at Fafe, ranked 7th in the third tier.[2] In his one season there, he took the team to the playoffs, where they were eliminated by Praiense in the quarter-finals.[3]

In June 2019, Pacheco signed for Vizela, another team eliminated from the same stage of the play-offs.[3] His first season was aborted because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Portuguese Football Federation promoted leaders Vizela and Arouca to the second tier.[4]

On his debut as a professional manager on 12 September 2020, Pacheco won 2–1 at home to U.D. Oliveirense.[5] His team sealed a second successive promotion the following 22 May, beating Arouca to second place with a 5–2 home win over Vilafranquense on the final day; Vizela's only previous season in the Primeira Liga was 1984–85.[6] In July 2021, he was named Manager of the Year at the LPFP Awards and signed a contract for two more years.[7][8]

In his first top-flight game on 6 August 2021, Pacheco's Vizela lost 3–0 at reigning champions Sporting CP.[9] On 23 December, his side won 1–0 at home in the fifth round of the Taça de Portugal against district neighbours and cup holders Braga.[10]

Managerial statistics

As of match played 13 November 2022[11]

Managerial record by team and tenure

Team	Nat	From	To	Record
				G	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Win %
Lixa		1 July 2011	12 March 2012	25	14	3	8	46	29	+17	056.00
Fafe		17 September 2018	4 June 2019	33	21	8	4	58	22	+36	063.64
Vizela		4 June 2019	Present	119	55	31	33	197	141	+56	046.22
Total				177	90	42	45	301	192	+109	050.85

Honours

• Liga Portugal 2 Coach of the Season: 2020-21[7]

References

External links

• Álvaro Pacheco at ForaDeJogo (archived)
• Soccerway manager profile

На других языках

[it] Álvaro Pacheco