Abel Ferreira

Abel Ferreira is a Portuguese football manager and former defender, born on 22 December 1978 in Penafiel, Portugal. Before becoming known internationally as Palmeiras coach, he built a long playing career primarily in Portuguese football. A right-back, he began professionally with Penafiel and later represented Vitória de Guimarães, Braga and Sporting CP. He also played for Estrela da Amadora. His most sustained spell came at Braga, where he spent several seasons and appeared in European competition. After retiring as a player, Ferreira entered coaching through Braga’s youth structure. He managed Braga B in Portugal’s second tier before being appointed head coach of Braga’s first team in 2017. Under his leadership, Braga finished fourth in the 2017-18 Primeira Liga and reached the Europa League round of 32. In 2019 he moved to Greece to take charge of PAOK. His PAOK side finished second in the Greek Super League in 2019-20 and reached the qualifying stages of the UEFA Champions League the following season. Palmeiras appointed Ferreira in November 2020, replacing Vanderlei Luxemburgo. His impact was immediate. Palmeiras won the 2020 Copa Libertadores on 30 January 2021, defeating Santos 1-0 at Rio de Janeiro’s Maracanã Stadium through Breno Lopes’s stoppage-time header. The result gave Palmeiras its second Libertadores title and made Ferreira the first Portuguese manager to win South America’s premier club competition. He retained the Libertadores in 2021, when Palmeiras beat Flamengo 2-1 after extra time in Montevideo. Deyverson scored the decisive goal following an error by Flamengo midfielder Andreas Pereira. That victory made Palmeiras the first club since Boca Juniors in 2000 and 2001 to win consecutive Libertadores titles, and it established Ferreira as a central figure in the club’s modern era. His Palmeiras tenure also included the 2020 Copa do Brasil, the 2022 Recopa Sudamericana, the 2022 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, the 2023 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, and multiple Campeonato Paulista titles. Palmeiras won the 2022 Brazilian league with 81 points, losing only three of 38 matches. In 2023, the club recovered from a substantial deficit to Botafogo during the title race and secured another national championship. Ferreira’s teams are associated with tactical flexibility, intense defensive organisation, and a willingness to adapt their shape according to opponents and available players. He has regularly worked with academy graduates while also relying on experienced figures such as goalkeeper Weverton and midfielder Raphael Veiga. At Palmeiras, his achievements have placed him among the most successful managers in the club’s history, particularly because of the unprecedented back-to-back Libertadores triumphs.