Dorival Júnior

Veteran Brazilian coach who won Copa do Brasil titles with four different clubs and led São Paulo to their first-ever Copa do Brasil in 2023.

Dorival Silvestre Júnior (born 25 April 1962) is a Brazilian professional football coach and former player. He is the current head coach of São Paulo.

Quick Facts

Full name: Dorival Silvestre Júnior
Born: 25 April 1962
Birthplace: Araraquara, Brazil
Height: 1.86 m / 6 ft 1 in
Position: Defensive midfielder
Current club: São Paulo (head coach)

Lore & Background

A defensive midfielder, Júnior notably played for Palmeiras. After retiring, he began his coaching career in 2002 with Ferroviária, but only gained national notoriety in 2010 when coaching Neymar's Santos. He later led Flamengo to a 2022 Copa Libertadores win and São Paulo to their first-ever Copa do Brasil title in 2023, before being named head coach of the Brazil national team in January 2024. He was sacked from the Brazil role in March 2025, and later coached Corinthians from April 2025 to April 2026, winning the 2025 Copa do Brasil and the 2026 Supercopa do Brasil before being fired. He returned to São Paulo for a third spell in May 2026.

Reader's Guide

Dorival Júnior is a veteran Brazilian coach known for multiple stints at top clubs. His career highlights include winning the Copa do Brasil with Santos (2010), Flamengo (2022), São Paulo (2023), and Corinthians (2025), as well as the 2022 Copa Libertadores with Flamengo. He also managed the Brazil national team from January 2024 to March 2025.

Did You Know?

Júnior is the nephew of former Brazilian player Dudu.
His son, Lucas Silvestre, has been his assistant since 2010.
He led Santos to a historic 10–0 win over Naviraiense in the 2010 Copa do Brasil.
He was the first coach to lead a club to six straight wins in the Copa Sudamericana group stage (with Ceará in 2022).