Abel Braga facts for kids
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Braga in 2007
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Abel Carlos da Silva Braga | ||
| Date of birth | 1 September 1952 | ||
| Place of birth | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | ||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 1+1⁄2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | 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 | ||
| International career | |||
| 1978 | Brazil | 1 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 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 | ||
| 2022 | Fluminense | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Abel Carlos da Silva Braga (born on September 1, 1952), known as Abel Braga, is a famous Brazilian football coach and former player. He was a strong central defender during his playing days.
Abel Braga started his professional football journey with Fluminense in 1968. He even played one game for the Brazilian national team and was part of the squad for the 1978 FIFA World Cup.
After he stopped playing in 1985, he became a football manager. He has coached many teams in Brazil and Portugal, including three times at Fluminense. A big highlight of his coaching career was in 2006. He led Internacional to win both the Copa Libertadores (South America's biggest club tournament) and the FIFA Club World Cup. He also coached Marseille in France and Al Jazira in the United Arab Emirates.
Contents
Playing Career: Abel's Time on the Field
During his time as a player, Abel Braga was simply known as Abel. He began his career at Fluminense in 1968 and stayed there until 1976. After that, he moved to Vasco da Gama.
He also played for Paris Saint-Germain in France from 1979 to 1981. Later, he played for Botafogo from 1982 to 1984. He finished his playing career at Goytacaz in 1984 and 1985.
Abel played one game for the Brazil national football team on April 19, 1978, against England. He was also part of the Brazilian team that played in the 1978 FIFA World Cup in Argentina.
Managerial Career: Leading the Teams
After he retired as a player, Abel Braga became a football coach. He worked with many well-known clubs like Vasco da Gama, Internacional, Atlético Paranaense, Coritiba, Atlético Mineiro, and Ponte Preta.
Early Coaching Successes
In 1988, while coaching Internacional, his team finished second in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, Brazil's top league. They lost in the final match. In 1989, he almost won the Copa Libertadores with Internacional, but they lost to Olimpia from Paraguay in a penalty shootout.
In July 2000, Braga took over as coach for Olympique de Marseille in France. He bought some Brazilian players, but he was let go in November because the team was struggling.
Winning Trophies in Brazil
In 2004, Abel Braga became the head coach for Flamengo. He led them to win the Taça Guanabara and the Campeonato Carioca (Rio de Janeiro state championship). However, Flamengo lost the Copa do Brasil to a less famous team, which was a big surprise. He resigned in July of that year.
In 2005, as coach for Fluminense, he won the Campeonato Carioca again. That year, Fluminense also had a tough loss in the Copa do Brasil final, similar to his experience with Flamengo.
International Triumphs
At the start of 2006, Abel moved to Internacional in Porto Alegre. Even though they didn't win the state tournament, he led Internacional to win the Copa Libertadores, which was a huge achievement for the club. He also guided Internacional to win the 2006 FIFA Club World Cup, beating top teams from around the world. This made him one of the best club coaches in 2006.
Returning to Fluminense
After coaching Al Jazira and winning a league title there, Abel Braga returned to Fluminense. He helped the team improve a lot and qualify for the Copa Libertadores. In 2012, he led Fluminense to win the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, and he was named the best coach of the league.
However, in 2013, Fluminense was knocked out of the 2013 Copa Libertadores unexpectedly. This led to some fan protests, and Abel was dismissed from Fluminense in July 2013 after a series of losses.
Later Coaching Roles
In January 2014, Braga went back to Internacional as manager, but he left at the end of that year. He had a second short time coaching Al Jazira in 2015.
Fluminense hired Braga again in December 2016 for the 2017 season. The team did well in the first half of 2017, winning the Primeira Liga and finishing second in the 2017 Campeonato Carioca. He resigned in June 2018 after 18 months. He holds the record for the second-most matches coached for Fluminense.
In January 2019, Flamengo hired Abel Braga again. They won the 2019 Campeonato Carioca. He resigned in May 2019. He then coached Cruzeiro and Vasco da Gama for short periods in 2019 and 2020.
In November 2020, Braga returned to Internacional for his seventh time as manager. He left in February 2021 after his team narrowly missed winning the 2020 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A. In June 2021, he coached Swiss Super League club FC Lugano in Switzerland, but he left in September. His most recent coaching role was a fourth time at Fluminense, starting in December 2021. He won the 2022 Campeonato Carioca but resigned in April 2022.
Personal Life
Abel Braga has faced personal challenges. In July 2017, his 18-year-old son, João Pedro, passed away. This was a very difficult time for Abel and his family. The football match his team was supposed to play the next day was postponed to give him time to grieve.
Honours: Trophies and Awards
As a Player
- Fluminense
- Campeonato Carioca: 1971, 1973, 1975
- Vasco
- Campeonato Carioca: 1977
As a 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 Awards
- Campeonato Carioca Manager of the year: 2017
See also
In Spanish: Abel Braga para niños
