Joel Santana facts for kids
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Personal information | |||
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Full name | Joel Natalino Santana | ||
Date of birth | 25 December 1948 | ||
Place of birth | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | ||
Playing position | Defender | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
1971–1972 | Vasco da Gama | 37 | (11) |
1973 | Olaria | 29 | (8) |
1974–1975 | Vasco da Gama | 18 | (1) |
1976–1980 | América de Natal | 148 | (45) |
Total | 232 | (65) | |
Teams managed | |||
1981–1986 | Al Wasl | ||
1986–1987 | Vasco da Gama | ||
1988–1990 | Al Nassr | ||
1991 | América | ||
1991 | Al-Hilal | ||
1992–1993 | Vasco da Gama | ||
1994 | Bahia | ||
1995 | Fluminense | ||
1996 | Flamengo | ||
1997 | Corinthians | ||
1997–1998 | Botafogo | ||
1998 | Flamengo | ||
1999–2000 | Bahia | ||
2000 | Botafogo | ||
2000–2001 | Vasco da Gama | ||
2001–2002 | Coritiba | ||
2002–2003 | Vitória | ||
2003 | Fluminense | ||
2004 | Guarani | ||
2004 | Internacional | ||
2004–2005 | Vasco da Gama | ||
2005 | Brasiliense | ||
2005 | Flamengo | ||
2006 | Vegalta Sendai | ||
2007 | Fluminense | ||
2007–2008 | Flamengo | ||
2008–2009 | South Africa | ||
2010–2011 | Botafogo | ||
2011 | Cruzeiro | ||
2011–2012 | Bahia | ||
2012 | Flamengo | ||
2013 | Bahia | ||
2014 | Vasco da Gama | ||
2017 | Boavista | ||
† Appearances (Goals). |
Joel Natalino Santana (born December 25, 1948) is a famous Brazilian football coach and a former player. He is known for leading many big teams in Brazil. In 2014, he was coaching Vasco da Gama.
Contents
Joel Santana's Football Journey
Playing Days in Brazil
Joel Santana was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He played football as a central defender throughout the 1970s. A central defender is a player who helps protect the goal. He spent most of his playing career in Brazil.
He was best known for playing with Vasco da Gama. However, he never played for the Brazilian national team. In 1980, he stopped playing and started his career as a football coach.
Becoming a Coach
Joel Santana began coaching with Al Wasl in the United Arab Emirates. He coached many clubs in Brazil. He also worked with teams in Saudi Arabia and Vegalta Sendai in Japan.
He is one of the few coaches to win the Campeonato Carioca (a major state championship in Rio de Janeiro) with four big clubs. These clubs are Botafogo, Flamengo, Fluminense, and Vasco da Gama. His coaching style often focused on strong defense. This meant making it hard for the other team to score goals.
Saving Teams from Relegation
In 2004, Joel Santana helped Vasco da Gama avoid being moved down to a lower league. This is called "relegation." He did this in his fourth time coaching the club. A year later, Flamengo hired him for the same reason. He successfully saved them from relegation too.
Because of these successes, he became known as an "escape artist." This meant he was good at rescuing teams from tough situations. In 2007, he returned to Flamengo again. He not only saved them from relegation but also led them to a surprising third-place finish. This allowed them to play in the 2008 Copa Libertadores, a big international tournament.
Coaching South Africa
In April 2008, Joel Santana became the coach of the South Africa national football team. He took over from another Brazilian coach, Carlos Alberto Parreira. However, in October 2009, he was removed from the job. This happened because the team had a difficult time, losing eight out of nine games.
Later Coaching Years
Joel Santana returned to coach Flamengo for a fifth time in February 2012. But he was fired in July 2012 after two losses. In April 2013, he started coaching Bahia for the fourth time.
Joel Santana is considered one of the most famous managers in Brazilian football. He won many trophies, especially state championships. He is also known for coaching over 1,000 games in his career. He retired from coaching in 2017 after managing Boavista.
Joel Santana's Acting Career
Becoming a Commercial Star
In 2012, a video of Joel Santana went viral. It showed him giving an interview during the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. He was coaching South Africa at the time. People found his English language skills funny in the video.
Because of this, he appeared in a commercial for Pepsi. He used a mix of Portuguese and English phrases. For example, he said, "Me dá uma Pepsi. Pode to be?" This means "Can you give me a Pepsi? Can it be?"
More Commercials and Thoughts
In 2013, he became the star of commercials for Head & Shoulders shampoo. Again, these ads made light of his English. Joel Santana was happy about his success in commercials.
He told a Brazilian sports channel that speaking English publicly was a risk. But he felt that in football, having feelings is important. He said that because he took that risk, he found a new way to be successful as a pitchman.
Honors and Achievements
Playing Honors
América de Natal
- Campeonato Potiguar: 1974, 1977, 1979, 1980
- Campeonato Brasileiro First Division: 1974
- Campeonato Carioca: 1970
Managerial Honors
- UAE Pro League: 1982, 1983, 1985
- Saudi Pro League: 1989
- Campeonato Baiano: 1994, 1999
- Campeonato Carioca: 1997, 2010
- Campeonato Carioca: 1996, 2008
- Campeonato Carioca: 1995
- 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup (4th place)
- Copa Mercosur: 2000
- Campeonato Brasileiro First Division: 2000
- Campeonato Carioca: 1992, 1993
- Campeonato Baiano: 2003
- Supercampeonato Baiano: 2002
See also
In Spanish: Joel Santana para niños