Vítor Manuel de Oliveira Lopes Pereira (born 26 July 1968) is a Portuguese football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. He is the current manager of Brazilian club Corinthians.
Personal information | |||
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Full name | Vítor Manuel de Oliveira Lopes Pereira[1] | ||
Date of birth | (1968-07-26) 26 July 1968 (age 54)[1] | ||
Place of birth | Espinho, Portugal[1] | ||
Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in) | ||
Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
Club information | |||
Current team | Corinthians (manager) | ||
Youth career | |||
1981–1982 | Espinho | ||
1982–1986 | Avanca | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1986–1987 | Avanca | 23 | (3) |
1987–1988 | Oliveirense | 30 | (6) |
1988–1990 | Avanca | 54 | (11) |
1990–1991 | Esmoriz | 1 | (0) |
1991–1993 | Estarreja | 68 | (20) |
1993–1994 | Fiães | 14 | (0) |
1994–1995 | São João de Ver | 3 | (1) |
1995–1996 | Lobão | 4 | (3) |
Total | 197 | (44) | |
Teams managed | |||
2002–2003 | Padroense (juniors) | ||
2003–2004 | Porto (juniors) | ||
2004–2005 | Sanjoanense | ||
2005–2007 | Espinho | ||
2007–2008 | Porto (juniors) | ||
2008–2010 | Santa Clara | ||
2010–2011 | Porto (assistant) | ||
2011–2013 | Porto | ||
2013–2014 | Al Ahli | ||
2015 | Olympiacos | ||
2015–2016 | Fenerbahçe | ||
2017 | 1860 Munich | ||
2017–2020 | Shanghai SIPG | ||
2021 | Fenerbahçe | ||
2022– | Corinthians | ||
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Following an amateur playing career, he became manager of Porto, where he won the Primeira Liga in both of his seasons. After leaving in 2013 he worked in several countries, winning a Greek league and cup double with Olympiacos in 2015 and the Chinese Super League with Shanghai SIPG in 2018.
Born in Espinho, Pereira only played amateur football, and retired at the age of 28. He started managing on junior level, and his first head coach experience arrived midway through the 2004–05 season, when he was appointed at A.D. Sanjoanense in the third division.[2]
Subsequently, Pereira worked with S.C. Espinho of the same league,[3] being fired with ten games left in his second campaign and returning to FC Porto's juniors for a further season.[4] In 2008 he returned to head coaching again, with C.D. Santa Clara in division two, leading the Azores side to the third position in his first year and the fourth in the second, on both occasions narrowly missing out on Primeira Liga promotion.[5][6]
In the summer of 2010, Pereira left Santa Clara to become assistant manager to André Villas-Boas at Porto.[7] On 21 June 2011, following the head coach's departure to Chelsea, he was promoted to first-team manager,[8] winning his first official match – and title – against Vitória de Guimarães, for the season's Portuguese Supercup.[9]
Despite a less than stellar performance both in Europe – with Porto being knocked out of the UEFA Champions League in the group stage and in the UEFA Europa League round-of-32 – and in the Portuguese Cup, Pereira led the club to the league title in his first season in charge. In March 2013, following the team's elimination from Champions League contention (1–2 on aggregate against Málaga CF), he came under heavy criticism, notably due to his decision of benching James Rodríguez during the first half on both games. The Colombian stated his disappointment in the coach's decision, but said that he respected him and trusted his reasons, adding that the situation was possibly created because of his questionable fitness, even though he claimed to be 100% fit.[10][11][12]
In early May 2013, as Porto ranked second in the league, Pereira deemed the Portuguese league as a "dirty competition".[13] Only a few days later, after his team defeated S.L. Benfica at home to surpass its opponents – eventually winning the league title, conceding six draws in 30 games[14]– he considered it to be a "highly competitive and prestigious league".[15]
In late May 2013, Pereira was interviewed for the vacant job at Premier League club Everton,[16] but eventually signed a two-year deal with Al Ahli Saudi FC of the Saudi Professional League. On 7 January 2015 he moved clubs and countries again, replacing fired Míchel at the helm of Olympiacos F.C.[17] and eventually winning the double.[18]
On 10 June 2015, Olympiacos announced a mutual contract termination with Pereira.[19] The following day, he was appointed at Fenerbahçe S.K. for two years.[20]
The Turkish club cut ties unilaterally with Pereira on 15 August 2016, with the case being subsequently taken to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.[21][22] On 18 December he was named head coach of TSV 1860 Munich in the German 2. Bundesliga, with the one-and-a-half-year deal being made effective the following 1 January.[23] The team finished the season third from bottom, and eventually got relegated on 30 May 2017 after a 3–1 loss aggregate loss to SSV Jahn Regensburg in the play-offs.[24]
Pereira became the manager of Shanghai SIPG F.C. on 12 December 2017, replacing Villas-Boas at the Chinese Super League club.[25] In his first season in charge, he guided them to their first-ever title in the competition.[26] In December 2019 he turned down a new approach from Everton[27] and, one year later, left Shanghai.[28]
Pereira returned to Fenerbahçe on 2 July 2021, on a two-year contract.[29] He was sacked on 20 December after a 2–2 home draw with Istanbul rivals Beşiktaş JK; his side were in fifth position and 14 points behind leaders Trabzonspor.[30] A month later, he was again linked with Everton as owner Farhad Moshiri's lead candidate, prompting anger and vandalism from fans who saw him as inadequate and wanted eventual appointee Frank Lampard instead; he defended his reputation in an interview on Sky Sports News.[31]
On 23 February 2022, Pereira was announced as manager of Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club Sport Club Corinthians Paulista, signing until the end of the year.[32] He lost to an opening-minute goal away to rivals São Paulo FC on his Campeonato Paulista debut a week later,[33] and the state championship ended with a 2–1 semi-final loss to the same opponents.[34]
Team | Nat | From | To | Record | |||||||
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G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | ||||
Sanjoanense | 30 November 2004 | 30 May 2005 | 24 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 26 | 24 | +2 | 037.50 | |
Espinho | 31 May 2005 | 19 March 2007 | 51 | 25 | 17 | 9 | 72 | 42 | +30 | 049.02 | |
Santa Clara | 1 June 2008 | 3 June 2010 | 73 | 34 | 21 | 18 | 104 | 74 | +30 | 046.58 | |
Porto | 22 June 2011 | 7 June 2013 | 93 | 65 | 16 | 12 | 190 | 67 | +123 | 069.89 | |
Al Ahli | 1 July 2013 | 4 May 2014 | 37 | 19 | 10 | 8 | 70 | 35 | +35 | 051.35 | |
Olympiacos | 8 January 2015 | 10 June 2015 | 27 | 18 | 6 | 3 | 66 | 18 | +48 | 066.67 | |
Fenerbahçe | 11 June 2015 | 15 August 2016 | 62 | 38 | 15 | 9 | 106 | 54 | +52 | 061.29 | |
1860 Munich | 1 January 2017 | 31 May 2017 | 20 | 6 | 3 | 11 | 18 | 27 | −9 | 030.00 | |
Shanghai SIPG | 12 December 2017 | 31 December 2020 | 118 | 69 | 27 | 22 | 229 | 124 | +105 | 058.47 | |
Fenerbahçe | 2 July 2021 | 20 December 2021 | 25 | 11 | 7 | 7 | 41 | 32 | +9 | 044.00 | |
Corinthians | 23 February 2022 | present | 55 | 23 | 17 | 15 | 68 | 50 | +18 | 041.82 | |
Total | 585 | 317 | 146 | 122 | 990 | 547 | +443 | 054.19 |
Porto
Al-Ahli
Olympiacos
Shanghai SIPG
Sport Club Corinthians Paulista – current squad | |
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Current Campeonato Brasileiro Série A managers | |
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Managerial positions | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Primeira Liga winning managers | |
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