Abel Braga facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Abel Braga

Braga in 2007
Personal information
Full name	Abel Carlos da Silva Braga
Date of birth	(1952-09-01) 1 September 1952 (age 72)
Place of birth	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Height	1.87 m (6 ft 1+1⁄2 in)
Playing position	Centre back
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1968–1976	Fluminense	42	(1)
1976–1979	Vasco da Gama	37	(0)
1977	→ Las Vegas Quicksilvers (loan)	11	(2)
1979–1981	Paris Saint-Germain	45	(9)
1981–1982	Cruzeiro	12	(1)
1982–1984	Botafogo	21	(4)
1984–1985	Goytacaz
National team
1978	Brazil	1	(0)
Teams managed
1985	Goytacaz
1985	Botafogo
1986	Rio Ave
1986	Vitória
1987	Galícia
1987–1988	Santa Cruz
1988–1989	Internacional
1989–1991	Famalicão
1991	Internacional
1992–1993	Belenenses
1993–1994	Famalicão
1994–1995	Vitória de Setúbal
1995	Vasco da Gama
1995	Internacional
1997	Guarani
1997–1998	Atlético Paranaense
1998	Bahia
1999	Coritiba
1999–2000	Paraná
2000	Vasco da Gama
2000	Marseille
2001	Atlético Mineiro
2001–2002	Botafogo
2002	Botafogo
2002	Atlético Paranaense
2003	Ponte Preta
2004	Flamengo
2005	Fluminense
2006–2007	Internacional
2007–2008	Internacional
2008–2011	Al Jazira
2011–2013	Fluminense
2014	Internacional
2015	Al Jazira
2017–2018	Fluminense
2019	Flamengo
2019	Cruzeiro
2020	Vasco da Gama
2020–2021	Internacional
2021	Lugano
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Abel Carlos da Silva Braga (born September 1, 1952), known as Abel Braga, is a famous Brazilian football coach and former player. He played as a defender and later became a very successful manager.

Abel Braga started his football journey in 1968. He played for several clubs in Brazil and even in France. After he stopped playing in 1985, he became a coach. He has managed many teams in Brazil and Portugal. He is especially known for his time with Fluminense. In 2006, he led Internacional to win two major titles: the Copa Libertadores and the FIFA Club World Cup.

Playing Career: Abel on the Field

Abel Braga was known as Abel when he played football. He began his career at Fluminense in 1968. He stayed there until 1976 before moving to Vasco da Gama.

He also played for Paris Saint-Germain in France from 1979 to 1981. Later, he played for Botafogo and Goytacaz. He finished his playing career in 1985.

Abel played one game for the Brazil national football team in 1978. He was also part of the Brazilian team at the 1978 FIFA World Cup in Argentina.

Managerial Career: Leading the Teams

After retiring as a player, Abel Braga became a football coach. He worked with many well-known clubs in Brazil. These included Vasco da Gama, Internacional, and Atlético Mineiro.

In 1988, while coaching Internacional, his team finished second in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A. The next year, in 1989, Internacional almost won the Copa Libertadores. They lost in a penalty shootout.

In 2000, Abel Braga coached Olympique de Marseille in France. He later returned to Brazil. In 2004, he led Flamengo to win the Campeonato Carioca. However, Flamengo lost the Copa do Brasil final that year.

In 2005, as coach for Fluminense, he won the Campeonato Carioca again. But his team also lost the Copa do Brasil final that year. Fluminense also missed a chance to qualify for the Copa Libertadores.

Winning Big with Internacional

In 2006, Abel Braga joined Internacional. He led them to an amazing victory in the Copa Libertadores. This is one of the biggest club football tournaments in South America.

Later that year, he also guided Internacional to win the 2006 FIFA Club World Cup. This made Internacional the world champion club. These were huge achievements for him and the club.

Returning to Fluminense

After coaching Al Jazira in the United Arab Emirates, Abel Braga came back to Fluminense. He helped the team improve a lot. In 2012, he led Fluminense to win the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A. He was named the best coach of the league that year.

In 2013, Fluminense was eliminated from the 2013 Copa Libertadores. This led to some disappointment among fans. Abel Braga later left Fluminense in July 2013.

He returned to Internacional in 2014 for another season. Then, he had a second time coaching Al Jazira in 2015.

More Spells at Fluminense and Other Clubs

Abel Braga was hired by Fluminense again in December 2016. In 2017, Fluminense won the Primeira Liga. During this time, Abel faced a very sad personal loss. His son, João Pedro, passed away. The football community showed great support.

He continued coaching Fluminense until June 2018. He holds the record for the second most matches coached for Fluminense.

In 2019, Abel Braga coached Flamengo and won the 2019 Campeonato Carioca. He then had short spells with Cruzeiro and Vasco da Gama.

In late 2020, he returned to Internacional for his seventh time as manager. He left in early 2021. In June 2021, he coached Swiss Super League club FC Lugano in Switzerland for a short period. He returned to Fluminense for a fourth time in December 2021, winning the 2022 Campeonato Carioca before resigning in April 2022.

Personal Life

On July 29, 2017, Abel Braga's 18-year-old son, João Pedro, passed away. This was a very difficult time for Abel and his family. A football match for Fluminense was postponed to allow him time to cope.

Honours

Player

Fluminense

• Campeonato Carioca: 1971, 1973 and 1975

Vasco

• Campeonato Carioca: 1977

Manager

Atlético Paranaense

• Campeonato Paranaense: 1998

Coritiba

• Campeonato Paranaense: 1999

Vasco

• Taça Guanabara: 2000

Flamengo

• Campeonato Carioca: 2004, 2019
• Taça Guanabara: 2004
• Taça Rio: 2019

Fluminense

• Campeonato Carioca: 2005, 2012, 2022
• Taça Rio: 2005, 2018
• Taça Guanabara: 2012, 2017, 2022
• Campeonato Brasileiro Série A: 2012

Internacional

• Copa Libertadores: 2006
• FIFA Club World Cup: 2006
• Campeonato Gaúcho: 2008, 2014

Al Jazira

• UAE League Cup: 2010
• UAE Arabian Gulf League: 2010–11
• UAE President's Cup: 2010–11

Individual

• Campeonato Carioca Manager of the year: 2017

See also

In Spanish: Abel Braga para niños