Tite

Tite is the professional name of Adenor Leonardo Bacchi, born on 25 May 1961 in Caxias do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul. A former midfielder, he played for Caxias, Esportivo de Bento Gonçalves, and Portuguesa in the 1980s, but a knee injury ended his playing career while he was still young. He studied physical education and moved into coaching, beginning in youth and lower-division work before managing clubs including Caxias, Veranópolis, Ypiranga, and Juventude. At Juventude, Tite won the 1999 Campeonato Gaúcho, a state championship that preceded his appointment at Grêmio. His Grêmio side won the Copa do Brasil in 2001 and the Campeonato Gaúcho in 2001, establishing him as a coach capable of succeeding in knockout football. He later had two spells at Internacional, where he won the Copa Sudamericana in 2008 and the Campeonato Gaúcho in 2009. His defining club period came at Corinthians. After taking charge in October 2010, he led the São Paulo club to the 2011 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A title. Corinthians then won the Copa Libertadores for the first time in 2012 without losing a match, defeating Boca Juniors in the final. Later that year, Tite's team beat Chelsea 1–0 in Yokohama to win the FIFA Club World Cup, with Paolo Guerrero scoring the deciding goal. In 2015 he returned to Corinthians and won another Brazilian league championship, finishing with 81 points, then a club record in the competition. His work was associated with disciplined pressing, compact defensive organization, and flexible midfield structures rather than a fixed single formation. The Brazilian Football Confederation appointed Tite head coach of Brazil in June 2016, replacing Dunga after Brazil's Copa América Centenario group-stage elimination. Brazil responded by qualifying comfortably for the 2018 World Cup, although Belgium eliminated the team 2–1 in the quarterfinals in Russia. Tite guided Brazil to the 2019 Copa América title on home soil, beating Peru 3–1 at the Maracanã in the final. Brazil lost the 2021 Copa América final to Argentina, also at the Maracanã. At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Brazil won its group but was eliminated by Croatia on penalties after a 1–1 quarterfinal draw. Tite announced beforehand that the tournament would end his national-team tenure, and he left the post after the defeat. In October 2023 he became Flamengo's coach, won the Campeonato Carioca in 2024, but departed in September after poor results and a Libertadores quarterfinal loss against Peñarol.