Skip to main content

2024 Copa Libertadores’ All Brazilian Final without Brazilian Managers

 

Copa Libertadores 2024 final

2024 Copa Libertadores’ all-Brazilian final will be without any Brazilian bosses in the dugout.

This year’s Copa Libertadores finally reaches the last stage with once again all Brazilian finals in the summit. Botafogo progressed to their first ever final in the competition history to take on their local contender, AtlĂ©tico Mineiro, also known as AtlĂ©tico-MG, the champions in the 2013 edition. Both sides have eliminated Uruguay's Peñarol and Argentina’s River Plate, respectively, in the semifinal. The final will be staged in Estadio Mâs Monumental, Buenos Aires, on November 30.

Copa Libertadores is no longer stranger to all Brazilian finals. In fact, it has already been the sixth one in history. The last three ones even took place in the past five years, which demonstrates the dominance of Brazilian clubs in the tournament. What’s more, they have always been the champions since 2019 too.

However, there is an anomaly in this year’s all-Brazilian final. Unlike the previous editions, neither finalist is led by their native managers, which is the first time in history. Botafogo is under the tutelage of Portuguese boss Artur Jorge, whereas AtlĂ©tico Mineiro has Argentina's gaffer, Gabriel Milito, in charge of the squad. The 2024 Copa Libertadores final is also their first chance to win major continental competition. Find out their managerial career and how they end up in their current position below.

Botafogo’s Artur Jorge

The 52-year-old gaffer began his coaching career at FC FamalicĂŁo back in 2009 but spent most of his career at Sporting Braga, where he also spent most of his playing career. He had been at the helm of their team at various levels, from the youth team, U23 side, to caretaker of the first team before being appointed as the senior side’s boss in 2022. In his first full season in charge, Jorge managed to guide them to finish third with the best points, wins, and goals in club history, plus qualified to the UEFA Champions League group stage for the first time in 11 years.

In his second season, the former centre back was able to lead his team to snatch their first ever win in the Champions League while crushing Union Berlin 3-2 on the road. Such a victory helped them secure one spot in the Europa League by finishing third in the final standings. Unfortunately, Braga’s continental campaign was cut short following their unexpected loss to Azerbaijan’s QarabaÄź in the playoff round. During his tenure in Braga, Jorge only won one title, the Portuguese League Cup in January, before he moved to South America by signing for Botafogo last April.

AtlĂ©tico Mineiro’s Gabriel Milito

Unlike Jorge, Gabriel Milito had been a famous player with fairly glittering career in Europe. He was part of the Barcelona squad under Pep Guardiola when they won a treble in 2008/09 and clinched double titles in 2010/11. Despite not being the first choice, mainly due to his physical fitness and injuries, he did also lift all the major trophies from La Liga, Copa Del Rey, Champions League, UEFA Super Cup to FIFA Club World Cup.

His managerial career began in his last club, which was also his first professional team as a player, Independiente. Milito was handed to lead the reserve team for one year before he stepped down in late 2014. He then received an offer to take charge of Estudiantes de La Plata in 2015.

Despite sealing one berth in the Copa Libertadores, the former centre back opted to resign. After returning back to Independiente and Estudiantes again, plus a one-year stint with Chile’s O’Higgins, the former Real Zaragoza man was named Argentinos Juniors’ boss in January 2021. He was able to secure one spot in CONMEBOL’s top flight club competition in 2022. Yet, the Bernal-born manager once again terminated his contract after extending it till 2027 after suffering a dismal defeat against San MartĂ­n in the early knockout stage of the domestic cup 2023.

In March 2024, Milito joined Atlético Mineiro and helped them win over their archrival, Cruzeiro, in the regional championship final. It is his only silverware to date. Should he beat Botafogo later in the summit, it would be a major boost for the gaffer, who earned 42 international caps with Albiceleste.

 


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Best Football Films based on true Football Stories

  Football films based on true events are not as common as we might hope, but the few that exist certainly stand out as some of the best. Unlike American football or basketball films, football (or soccer, as it's called in the U.S.) hasn't gained the same level of popularity or production in Hollywood. That’s understandable, given the sport’s limited appeal in the U.S. historically. However, with the country set to co-host the expanded 48-team FIFA World Cup next year, more football films should be produced to build the hype and capture the spirit of the world’s biggest sporting event. Football movies have the unique ability to explore stories on and off the pitch — from a fan's perspective to tales centred around players, managers, or even lesser-known supporting characters. The following list focuses solely on those based on true events, highlighting the personal conflicts, dressing room dynamics, and emotional journeys that define real football legends. As we enjoy...

The Most Daring Journeyman Managers in History

  Not many gaffers opt to roam around the world to become journeyman managers in their careers and gain fair success.  Being a football manager, just like any other profession, needs a challenge to push the limit in their career, be it for the silverware, more noble missions like developing football in the remote countries, or simply for an adventure. It is quite rare to find one recently and thrive, especially at the top level.  One of the few such figures is probably Jorge Jesus. The Portuguese boss has currently signed for the post in Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr. It would be a challenge as well as an honour for him to lead Cristiano Ronaldo, something that he never had during his stints in Europe. Jesus mainly spent his career in his home soil and Turkey before venturing to South America and winning the prestigious title, Copa Libertadores 2019, with Flamengo. He is one of the few European gaffers who managed to do so. However, his experience in three contine...

Top Barcelona Stars signed from Espanyol

  More than 40 players were snatched by Barcelona from their city rival, Espanyol, for their first team, but only a few eventually thrived. Barcelona and RC Espanyol have been rivals for years, but it does not stop both sides from swapping players. Blaugrana did release more of their stars to their fellow Catalan side, but not exactly the opposite. Former Danish international Martin Braithwaite was the last one to play regularly for Espanyol in the 2022/23 season. This season, however, Hans Flick’s side does the opposite by signing Espanyol’s brightest talent last season, Joan Garcia. He was La Liga’s best shot stopper last season despite only helping his team finish at the lower table. In fact, Garcia is seemingly prepared to take up the number one spot from the club’s captain, Marc Ter Stegen. The German goalie has fallen out of favour under Hans Flick since his attitude ahead of the second leg of the UCL semifinal against Inter Milan last season. Should Garcia be able to p...