Sporting Lisbon have appointed Joao Pereira to replace Ruben Amorim as the club’s head coach.
Amorim, 39, officially left Sporting on Monday, November 11, to join Manchester United after overseeing the Lisbon club’s 4-2 victory at Braga on Sunday to continue their 100 per cent winning record in 11 Portuguese league games this campaign.
40-year-old Pereira, a former right-back, has been involved in coaching at Sporting since his retirement from playing in 2021 and has most recently been the club’s B team coach.
Pereira began his career at Sporting’s Lisbon rivals Benfica, where he spent three seasons in the first-team squad, but went on to have three separate stints at Sporting— the last of which was played when Amorim was head coach.
He was appointed Sporting’s under-23 head coach in 2022-23 after a season as the team’s assistant coach.
Uma nova braçadeira, a mesma ambição 🫡
João Pereira é o novo treinador do #SportingCP 🦁 pic.twitter.com/saGvLXB4lR
— Sporting CP (@SportingCP) November 11, 2024
The former defender was capped 40 times by Portugal and also played for Valencia and Trabzonspor at club level.
Sporting are aiming to win back-to-back Portuguese league titles for the first time since 1954.
Amorim leaves Sporting having won each of the club’s opening 11 league matches and with 10 points from their first four Champions League matches, leaving them second in the 36-team league phase.
(Carlos Rodrigues/Getty Images)
