The Brazilian Silvinho has been named as the new permanent coach of Bulgaria. The information is from “Maritsa“, quoted by Topsport.bg. He is to succeed Aleksandar Dimitrov, who resigned after the goalless draw with Estonia. Until the appointment of a permanent coach, the national team is temporarily led by Atanas Ribarski.
Silvinho is a familiar name in the Balkans. He led the Albanian national team for three years and qualified it for the 2024 European Championship in Germany. In the qualifiers, the Albanians finished first in their group, recording victories with 2:0 over Poland and 3:0 over the Czech Republic.
Career as a footballer
Sylvinho began his career at Corinthians in 1994. In 1999, he moved to Arsenal and became the first Brazilian to play for the English club. Between 2001 and 2004, he defended the colors of Celta, and in 2004 he signed with Barcelona.
With the Catalan team, he won two Spanish titles and was part of the squad that triumphed in the Champions League in 2006. Between 2000 and 2001, he recorded six matches for the Brazilian national team. In 2004, he obtained Spanish citizenship.
His coaching experience
After his playing career, Silvinho worked in the staffs of Cruzeiro, Nautico and Recife. In 2013, he was part of Tite's team at Corinthians, and later became Roberto Mancini's assistant at Inter. He remained in Milan until 2016.
Between 2016 and 2019, he worked with Tite again, this time with the Brazilian national team. His first appointment as head coach was at Olympique Lyon in 2019, but his stay in France ended before the end of the autumn season. In February 2021, he took over at Corinthians, where he stayed for a little over a year.
In Albania, Silvinho worked with Brazilian Doriva and Argentine Pablo Zabaleta. It is expected that the next steps regarding his possible appointment as head of Bulgaria will be related to the official decision of the Bulgarian Football Union.
Sources: Topsport, Maritsa