Carlos Carvalhal facts for kids
Carvalhal as head coach of Beşiktaş in 2011
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Carlos Augusto Soares da Costa Faria Carvalhal | ||
| Date of birth | 4 December 1965 | ||
| Place of birth | Braga, Portugal | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Centre-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1978–1983 | Braga | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1983–1985 | Braga | 7 | (0) |
| 1985–1986 | Chaves | 28 | (0) |
| 1986–1988 | Braga | 60 | (1) |
| 1988–1989 | Porto | 1 | (0) |
| 1989–1990 | Beira-Mar | 23 | (0) |
| 1990–1992 | Braga | 33 | (0) |
| 1992–1993 | Tirsense | 14 | (0) |
| 1993–1995 | Chaves | 44 | (3) |
| 1995–1999 | Espinho | 49 | (0) |
| Total | 259 | (4) | |
| International career | |||
| 1985–1987 | Portugal U21 | 9 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1998–1999 | Espinho | ||
| 1999–2000 | Freamunde | ||
| 2000 | Vizela | ||
| 2000–2001 | Aves | ||
| 2001–2002 | Leixões | ||
| 2003–2004 | Vitória Setúbal | ||
| 2004–2005 | Belenenses | ||
| 2006 | Braga | ||
| 2006–2007 | Beira-Mar | ||
| 2007–2008 | Vitória Setúbal | ||
| 2008 | Asteras Tripolis | ||
| 2009 | Marítimo | ||
| 2009–2010 | Sporting CP | ||
| 2011–2012 | Beşiktaş | ||
| 2012 | İstanbul Başakşehir | ||
| 2015–2017 | Sheffield Wednesday | ||
| 2017–2018 | Swansea City | ||
| 2019–2020 | Rio Ave | ||
| 2020–2022 | Braga | ||
| 2022 | Al Wahda | ||
| 2022–2023 | Celta | ||
| 2023–2024 | Olympiacos | ||
| 2024–2025 | Braga | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Carlos Carvalhal is a famous Portuguese football manager and former player. He was born on December 4, 1965. As a player, he was a centre-back. He played in 197 games in Portugal's top league. He played for six different clubs, including Braga three times and Chaves twice. He even played one game for Porto.
After his playing career, Carvalhal became a football manager. He has been a coach for over 20 years. He has managed eight different teams in Portugal's top league. This includes managing Braga three times. He won the Taça de Portugal (Portuguese Cup) with Braga in 2021. He also reached the final of the same cup with Leixões in 2002. In 2008, he won the Taça da Liga (League Cup) with Vitória de Setúbal. Carvalhal has also coached teams in Greece, Turkey, England, Wales, the United Arab Emirates, and Spain.
Contents
Playing Football: Carlos's Career
Carlos Carvalhal was born in Braga, Portugal. He spent most of his playing career with his hometown club, Braga. In the 1987–88 season, he played 34 games for Braga. This was one of his best years as a player.
After playing for Braga, Carvalhal joined Porto. However, he only stayed there for one year. For the next nine seasons, he played for several other teams. These included Beira-Mar, Tirsense, Chaves, and Espinho. He retired from playing football when he was 32 years old.
Coaching Teams: Carlos's Journey Begins
Starting Out as a Coach
Carvalhal started his coaching career at his last club, Espinho. This was in Portugal's second division. He was let go early in his second year there. In 2002, he made history with Leixões. He led them from the third division all the way to the final of the Taça de Portugal. This meant they qualified for the UEFA Cup, which was a big achievement.
Two years later, in 2004, he helped Vitória de Setúbal get promoted back to the top league. This success led him to coach Belenenses, a team already in the top division.
Challenges and Successes in Portugal
Carvalhal was fired from Belenenses in 2005 after a tough start to the season. He faced similar challenges with Braga and Beira-Mar the next season. He was dismissed from Beira-Mar in December 2006.
However, his return to Vitória de Setúbal for the 2007–08 season was very successful. He led the team to sixth place in the league. This earned them a spot in the UEFA Cup. His team also had one of the best defenses in Europe that year. Most notably, he led them to win the first-ever Taça da Liga (League Cup) against Sporting CP.
Coaching Abroad: Greece and Turkey
In May 2008, Carvalhal took his first coaching job outside Portugal. He joined Asteras Tripolis in Greece. He left the club by agreement in November of that year.
He then returned to Portugal to coach Marítimo. He later moved to Sporting CP in November 2009. He stayed with Sporting until the end of the 2009–10 season. The team finished in fourth place that year.
On August 2, 2011, Carvalhal became the temporary manager of Beşiktaş in Turkey. He took over while the main coach dealt with legal issues. In April 2012, he was replaced by the previous coach. He then joined İstanbul Başakşehir in the same city. He resigned from that role in November 2012.
Adventures in England and Wales
After almost three years away from coaching, Carvalhal became the head coach of Sheffield Wednesday in England. This was on June 30, 2015. In his first season, he led the team to sixth place in the Championship. They made it to the play-off final at Wembley, but lost. A big win that season was beating Arsenal 3–0 in the Football League Cup.
In May 2017, he led Sheffield Wednesday to a fourth-place finish. He also became the first Portuguese coach to win the EFL Championship Manager of the Month award. They reached the play-offs again but lost on penalties. Carvalhal left the club on December 24, 2017.
Just four days later, on December 28, 2017, Carvalhal moved to the Premier League. He joined Swansea City. His first game was a 2–1 win against Watford. He was even nominated for the Premier League Manager of the Month award for January. However, after the club was relegated, Carvalhal left Swansea City on May 18, 2018.
Back to Portugal and Beyond
Carvalhal returned to Portugal a year later, becoming the coach of Rio Ave. In his only season there, he led the team to fifth place. This earned them a spot in the UEFA Europa League. They also achieved their highest-ever points total with 55 points.
On July 28, 2020, Carvalhal signed a two-year contract with Braga. This was his third time coaching the club. In January 2021, his team lost the League Cup final to Sporting. However, he led Braga to win the Taça de Portugal (Portuguese Cup) on May 23, 2021, beating Benfica 2–0 in the final.
In 2022, Carvalhal finished fourth in the Portuguese League with Braga. He also reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa League. He asked to leave the club in May 2022 to start a new project, and his request was granted.
New Challenges: UAE, Spain, and Greece
On June 1, 2022, Carvalhal signed a one-year deal with Al Wahda in the UAE Pro League. He was dismissed on October 3, 2022, after only four games.
On November 2, 2022, Carvalhal was appointed coach of Celta in Spain. He signed a contract until June 2024. His team finished 13th in La Liga. They secured their safety on the final day of the season with a 2–1 win against Barcelona. Carvalhal left Celta on June 10, 2023. He often said that Iago Aspas was the best player he had ever coached.
On December 5, 2023, Carvalhal became the coach of Olympiacos in Greece. His first game was a 5–2 win in the UEFA Europa League. This win helped them move on to the UEFA Europa Conference League. He left Olympiacos on February 8, 2024, after winning five of his eleven games.
Third Time at Braga
Carlos Carvalhal returned to Braga for his third time as coach on August 12, 2024. He signed a two-year deal.
Carlos Carvalhal's Life Outside Football
Carlos Carvalhal studied at university in Porto with fellow coach Rui Faria. He also studied for his coaching license with José Mourinho. In 2014, he wrote a book called Soccer: Developing a Know-How. In this book, he shared his ideas about coaching.
Carvalhal has a university degree in sports science. He was known for giving interesting and thoughtful answers in press conferences. In 1988, he helped start a sportswear company called Lacatoni in Braga. The "ca" in the company's name comes from his own name. In July 2020, he had a minor injury during an attempted robbery when he was returning home after a match.
Managerial Statistics
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | Ref | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | |||||
| Espinho |  |
20 May 1998 | 8 November 1999 | 47 | 17 | 13 | 17 | 58 | 55 | +3 | 36.17 | |
| Freamunde | 15 November 1999 | 30 May 2000 | 24 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 30 | 27 | +3 | 37.50 | ||
| Vizela | 30 June 2000 | 4 December 2000 | 14 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 25 | 14 | +11 | 57.14 | ||
| Aves | 4 December 2000 | 8 June 2001 | 22 | 2 | 8 | 12 | 17 | 46 | −29 | 9.09 | ||
| Leixões | 8 June 2001 | 9 December 2002 | 64 | 42 | 13 | 9 | 118 | 56 | +62 | 65.63 | ||
| Vitória Setúbal | 5 June 2003 | 19 May 2004 | 38 | 20 | 11 | 7 | 69 | 43 | +26 | 52.63 | ||
| Belenenses | 19 May 2004 | 27 October 2005 | 46 | 18 | 8 | 20 | 55 | 48 | +7 | 39.13 | ||
| Braga | 10 May 2006 | 8 November 2006 | 13 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 17 | 16 | +1 | 46.15 | ||
| Beira-Mar | 10 November 2006 | 8 January 2007 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 10 | +0 | 16.67 | ||
| Vitória Setúbal | 23 May 2007 | 15 May 2008 | 43 | 19 | 16 | 8 | 55 | 41 | +14 | 44.19 | ||
| Asteras Tripolis |  |
15 May 2008 | 11 November 2008 | 10 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 8 | −1 | 20.00 | |
| Marítimo | |
24 February 2009 | 28 September 2009 | 18 | 2 | 8 | 8 | 20 | 25 | −5 | 11.11 | |
| Sporting CP | 16 November 2009 | 9 May 2010 | 33 | 16 | 7 | 10 | 53 | 37 | +16 | 48.48 | ||
| Beşiktaş |  |
2 August 2011 | 2 April 2012 | 47 | 22 | 9 | 16 | 70 | 56 | +14 | 46.81 | |
| İstanbul Başakşehir | 16 May 2012 | 12 November 2012 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 11 | 16 | −5 | 25.00 | ||
| Sheffield Wednesday |  |
30 June 2015 | 24 December 2017 | 131 | 56 | 38 | 37 | 177 | 138 | +39 | 42.75 | |
| Swansea City |  |
28 December 2017 | 18 May 2018 | 25 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 30 | 31 | −1 | 32.00 | |
| Rio Ave | |
28 May 2019 | 25 July 2020 | 42 | 20 | 11 | 11 | 63 | 43 | +20 | 47.62 | |
| Braga | 28 July 2020 | 15 May 2022 | 104 | 58 | 20 | 26 | 179 | 110 | +69 | 55.77 | ||
| Al Wahda |  |
1 June 2022 | 3 October 2022 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 25.00 | |
| Celta |  |
2 November 2022 | 12 June 2023 | 29 | 10 | 8 | 11 | 40 | 33 | +7 | 34.48 | |
| Olympiacos | |
5 December 2023 | 7 February 2024 | 11 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 16 | 12 | +4 | 45.45 | |
| Braga | |
12 August 2024 | 19 May 2025 | 50 | 28 | 10 | 12 | 77 | 52 | +25 | 56.00 | |
| Total | 833 | 373 | 213 | 247 | 1,204 | 922 | +282 | 44.78 | — | |||
Honours and Awards
As a Manager
Leixões
- Taça de Portugal runner-up: 2001–02
- Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira runner-up: 2002
Setúbal
- Taça da Liga: 2007–08
Braga
- Taça de Portugal: 2020–21
- Taça da Liga runner-up: 2020–21
- Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira runner-up: 2021
Individual Awards
- Football League Cup Manager of the Tournament: 2015–16
- EFL Championship Manager of the Month: April 2017
See also
In Spanish: Carlos Carvalhal para niños
