José Guilherme (football manager)

Career

José Guilherme got his start in coaching at S.C. Esmoriz, then moved to FC Porto’s youth setup, where he won four national championships. He also worked with the senior Portugal national team as part of Carlos Queiroz’s staff between 2008 and 2010. On 26 December 2010, he took over as head coach of Primeira Liga side Académica de Coimbra, replacing Jorge Costa. His assistant was José Costa, a former player and manager for the club. The deal ran until the end of the season with an option for another year, but Guilherme resigned on 20 February. In the league, his record was two draws and four losses; in the Taça de Portugal, he guided the team through two rounds to the semi-finals. He later returned to Porto to manage the under-17s. On 6 March 2014, while his under-17 side led their league, he was promoted to take charge of Porto’s B-team, which sat first in the second division, after Luís Castro moved up to the first team. Guilherme then managed Portugal’s under-17 squad, who were the reigning European champions. They failed to qualify for the 2017 UEFA European Championship, losing 2–0 to Spain. In November 2019, he led the team to the Elite Round of qualification, but both that round and the finals in Estonia were called off because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, he became assistant technical director of the Portuguese Football Federation.