The Brazil national team has finally found a new manager, Dorival Junior. The five-time World Champions have been without a permanent manager since the departure of longtime coach Tite after a failed World Cup campaign in 2022.
Managed on an interim basis by Fernando Diniz, the Selecao have long-standing issues on the pitch and have had a bad run of games recently. Carlo Ancelotti was a favorite to become their new coach, but he rejected signing a new long-term deal at Real Madrid. But the national team has now finally gotten their hands on a new manager.
Who is Dorival Junior?
Dorival Junior is yet to be confirmed as the new head coach by the Brazilian national team, but unofficially it is confirmed, with a deal until 2026 already signed. He has left Brazilian club Sao Paulo, who have confirmed his exit already. However, Dorival is fairly unknown to the rest of the soccer world.
Dorival Junior had a pretty subpar career, playing as a defensive midfielder and playing for teams like Palmeiras, Gremio, and Botafogo, among many others. He never played outside Brazil in his days as a player.
He started his coaching career in 2002 as the manager of Ferroviária and slowly climbed up in reputation. Soon, he got his first big gig at Cruzeiro in 2007, and later also managed Vasco Da Gama. He then became the manager of Santos, where he brought out many talents from their academy, with notable names being Neymar Jr., Robinho and many others. He was sacked from that job after an altercation with star player Neymar Jr., which is not the only controversy of the player.
He would go on to manage other big clubs in Brazil, such as Atlético Mineiro, Internacional, Flamengo, Vasco da Gama, Fluminense, Athletico Paranaense, and Palmeiras.
He has won both the Copa do Brasil and the Copa Libertadores, two very prestigious trophies in the country. Most recently, he managed Sao Paulo but will now leave them to take the next big step in his career for his country.
When will Dorival Junior make his debut as Brazil coach?
Brazil’s interim coach, Fernando Diniz, has been officially fired after a series of defeats during his tenure. He oversaw three consecutive defeats in the World Cup qualifiers to Argentina, Colombia, and Uruguay. Currently, they are in 6th place in the World Cup Qualifier tables.
Dorival Junior, therefore, will inherit a team in very unfortunate circumstances and will have to rejuvenate them soon. His first match in charge of his country’s soccer team will be a friendly game against England on March 24. It will be a strong test against one of the best teams in Europe. Immediately after the next international break in June, he will have a friendly against Mexico, and then the group stages of the Copa America tournament will commence.
And so Dorival will have huge expectations of him with not much time. Only time will tell if he will be successful for them or not.
