Carlos Alberto Parreira

Lore & Background

Parreira supports Fluminense, and he has won two league titles for the club: The First Division Brazilian Championship in 1984 and the Third Division in 1999. About the latter title, Parreira has said that this was personally the most important trophy of his career, even more so than Brazil's World Cup triumph, as the club he loved was facing near-bankruptcy and became very close to extinction at the time. Parreira is one of two coaches that has led five national teams to the World Cup: Kuwait in 1982, United Arab Emirates in 1990, Brazil in 1994 and 2006, Saudi Arabia in 1998 and South Africa in 2010. The other coach, Bora Milutinović, reached this record when he led a fifth team in 2002. Parreira was also involved with the 1970 championship team for Brazil, which he claims was an inspiration for him to aspire to be a national football coach.

In Their Own Story

The afternoon sun beat down on the Riyadh pitch, casting long shadows across the green grass as Carlos Alberto Parreira paced the technical area. He held his clipboard tightly, his eyes scanning the players' movements with the sharp gaze of a man who had seen the world's best. 'Again!' he called out in accented Arabic, pointing to the midfield. The players, sensing the intensity of this World Cup winner, reset their positions, eager to prove they could match the standards set by the legend standing before them.

Reader's Guide

Parreira coached Saudi Arabia at the 1998 World Cup in France, where he was fired after two matches. He coached Brazil to victory in the 1994 FIFA World Cup and was the coach of the South Africa national football team until resigning in April 2008. He resumed coaching South Africa in 2009 in time for the 2010 World Cup. On 25 June 2010 he announced his retirement as football coach. In contrast to other previous more offensive-minded managers of the Brazil national team, Parreira was instead known for his more pragmatic and physical attitude as a coach, with a focus on defensive stability. During the team's victorious 1994 World Cup campaign, he used a 4–4–2 formation, with a strong back-line, and two defensive midfielders – Mauro Silva and Dunga – who won back the ball and distributed it to other players, helping his team control possession.

Did You Know?

• Parreira is one of two coaches that has led five national teams to the World Cup.
• He is the only manager to have led two different Asian teams to conquer the AFC Asian Cup.
• Parreira has said that winning the Third Division Brazilian Championship with Fluminense in 1999 was personally the most important trophy of his career, even more so than Brazil's World Cup triumph.
• When coaching Saudi Arabia at the 1998 World Cup, he was fired after two matches, one of three managers to be sacked during the tournament.