Skip to main content

2024 Copa Libertadores’ All Brazilian Final without Brazilian Managers

Image
By

 

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, Atlético Mineiro, also known as Atlético-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 Atlético 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 Famalicão 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 Qarabağ 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.

Atlético 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 Martín 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.

 


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Three MVPs in Asian Cup History Without Winning the Title

By
  Three footballers were named as the best players in Asian Cup history without even winning the title. In most competitions, whether at the club level or on an international stage, the MVPs or best players in the tournament mainly come from the winning team. However, there have always been some exceptions. In the FIFA World Cup, Luka Modric and Lionel Messi are the most recent examples. They were awarded Best Player in the 2018 and 2014 editions, respectively, although their teams lost in the final. In the AFC Asian Cup , such exceptions existed too. Throughout the tournament's history, three players have been named MVP without lifting the trophy. One of them did not even play in the final, as his team did not advance to the summit. Nevertheless, their success earned them the opportunity to play for European clubs. Check out these three extraordinary figures in Asian football. Jia Xiuquan (PRC) He won the Best Player award in the 1984 Asian Cup. Jia helped China reach thei...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Most Thrilling Encounters in the EURO Playoffs so far

By
  Several matches in the UEFA EURO playoffs are worth remembering for their thrilling encounters. The EURO 2024 playoffs are underway. Six teams will be fighting for the remaining three spots in the summer tournament in Germany. They have been seeded in three paths based on their results in the UEFA Nations League 2022/23 as well as the EURO 2024 qualifiers. Robert Lewandowski’s Poland and Ukraine are among those six sides who are set to play in the playoff final next Tuesday, March 26 th . The current playoffs are staged in a final-four format, starting with the semifinals. Since two-legged games were discontinued, more drama, thrills, or even goals galore are expected. Should the games end in a tie, extra time and a penalty shootout will be used to decide the winner. Some remarkable games have occurred over the history of the EURO playoffs, which began in 1995 . Some established teams, such as England, the Netherlands, Spain, and Portugal, previously had to take such a path...
Post a Comment
Read more

Top players who failed in both Real Madrid and Barcelona

By
  Several top players had attempted to thrive in both Real Madrid and Barcelona in their careers but failed. Real Madrid and Barcelona are undoubtedly two of the most famous elite clubs in the world. Thus, a chance to play in either one or even both of them is too good to turn down. Such would not only improve their career but also their level of performance, winning mentality, and even exposure. Some players managed to shine in one of them, whereas a few were even able to thrive on both sides. The likes of Ronaldo Luiz Nazario, Luis Figo, and Michael Laudrup are the perfect example of the latter. Unfortunately, some others have not succeeded in neither team, despite having the rare opportunity to play for both La Liga powerhouses in a star-studded squad. Here are several top players who had failed stints in both Santiago Bernabeu and Camp Nou. Two of them were even considered legendary figures in their home soil and Eastern Europe. Alfonso Perez Alfonso Perez was one of ...
Post a Comment
Read more