The reigning champions of Portugal, Sporting Lisbon, quickly found a replacement after head coach Ruben Amorim moved to Manchester United. Joao Pereira has been appointed as the new head coach.
Recently, Sporting Lisbon defeated Braga 4-2 in the 11th round of the Portuguese league, which was Amorim’s farewell match as coach. Immediately after, he traveled to England to take on his new role with MU.
Not long after parting ways with Amorim, Sporting Lisbon promoted Joao Pereira from their B team to the head coach position. Pereira was chosen due to his deep knowledge of the club, with hopes that he will quickly adapt.
As a player, Joao Pereira was a right-back for Sporting Lisbon and earned 40 caps with the Portuguese national team, including at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. After retiring, Pereira pursued a coaching career, leading Sporting’s U23 team starting in July 2022 and later managing Sporting B in Portugal’s third division two years later.
Parting ways with Ruben Amorim mid-season was not ideal for Sporting Lisbon. However, they had little choice since MU was willing to pay over 10 million euros to release Amorim from his contract. Additionally, the 39-year-old manager himself was eager to try his hand in the Premier League.
The pressure on Joao Pereira is considerable as Sporting is enjoying an excellent run of form. In the 2024/25 Portuguese league, Sporting has won all 11 opening matches. In the Champions League, they are also unbeaten with three wins and one draw, currently ranking second in the standings.
According to the schedule, Joao Pereira will make his debut as Sporting’s head coach in the match against Amarante on November 23 in the 2024/25 Portuguese League Cup.