Abel Ferreira

The Portuguese right-back who became Palmeiras' most successful foreign coach with back-to-back Libertadores and league titles.

Abel Fernando Moreira Ferreira, known simply as Abel, is a Portuguese professional football manager and former player born on 22 December 1978. He currently serves as the head coach of Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club Palmeiras. As a right-back during his playing days, he accumulated 234 Primeira Liga matches over 11 seasons with Vitória de Guimarães, Braga, and Sporting CP.

Quick Facts

Fullname: Abel Fernando Moreira Ferreira
Born: 22 December 1978
Birthplace: Penafiel, Portugal
Height: 1.78 m / 5 ft 10 in
Position: Right-back
Currentclub: Palmeiras (head coach)
Totalcaps: 296
Totalgoals: 7

Lore & Background

Abel's journey began in Penafiel, where he started at age 10 before being reconverted from central midfielder to right-back by a manager whose decision initially made him consider quitting football. He joined Vitória de Guimarães in the summer of 2000 for his Primeira Liga debut and later moved to Braga in 2004–05. His transfer to Sporting CP in January 2006 marked a turning point; after a two-way loan involving Wender, the move became permanent. On 27 November 2007, he scored against Manchester United in a 2–1 Champions League away loss. Despite being called up for Portugal that season, he never earned a cap. In 2008–09, he lost his starting spot to Pedro Silva and later João Pereira, but found form again, scoring his first league goal for Sporting on 24 October 2010 in a 1–0 win over Rio Ave. Injury forced his retirement at age 32 after the 2010–11 season.

Reader's Guide

Abel Ferreira's managerial success at Palmeiras is defined by a rapid accumulation of major trophies: the Copa do Brasil (2020), two successive Copa Libertadores (2020, 2021), the Recopa Sudamericana (2022), and back-to-back Campeonato Brasileiro Série A titles (2022, 2023). In January 2024, shortly after winning another Brazilian League, he renewed his contract until December 2025. His personal life reflects deep discipline; in December 2023, he revealed to the media that his playing days were marked by a lack of partying or girlfriends, with evenings spent at home watching the soap opera 'Tieta' with his parents—a show his mother sometimes blocked him from seeing for being too daring. He emphasized that achieving goals requires sacrifice. In March 2021, he was decorated as Commander of the Order of Infante D. Henrique.