The official confirmation has arrived. São Paulo announced that Luis Zubeldía has already signed the contract to become the new coach and will be present today at the stadium for the visit of the new team to Atlético Goianiense, before leading his first training session in the coming days.
“I am very happy and confident with this new challenge. São Paulo’s goals coincide with those of our coaching staff. We want to bring a lot of joy to São Paulo’s fans and be part of the prestigious history of the club,” said the Argentine, who comes from winning the Copa Sudamericana with Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito.
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The 43-year-old coach, who has had stints in Spain, Argentina, Colombia, and Mexico, will be accompanied by five professionals he trusts, including assistants, a fitness coach, and an analyst. He will replace Thiago Carpini, who was fired after two consecutive losses in the Brasileirão.
“I am glad that we have been able to reach an agreement with him at this time, as he was a professional we had already evaluated well, but who was not available before,” said the president of São Paulo, Julio Casares, according to an official statement. The leadership had already tried to hire him in January, after the departure of Dorival Júnior to take over the reins of the Brazilian national team, but the negotiations had not progressed.
“He is a coach with a solid track record, experience in international competitions, and important achievements. We have acted quickly, but always following our internal evaluation processes,” he added.
When will Zubeldía’s debut be at São Paulo?
The Argentine will have to implement his style of play as quickly as possible, as on Thursday, April 25, the team, which includes James Rodríguez and Lucas Moura in the squad, will face Barcelona in Guayaquil for the third round of the Copa Libertadores, a tournament in which they have suffered one defeat and achieved one victory. Zubeldía coached that Ecuadorian team between 2011 and 2012.
With no time to lose, he then has another challenging match: at the Morumbi, against Palmeiras, in the Brasileirão.
Zagallo documentary
Sambafoot Series has launched a new documentary about the football legend Zagallo. Known as ‘Velho Lobo’ and as superstitious as it gets, Zagallo helped shape what Brazilian football is nowadays – as a player and as a coach. The first and second episodes is available in Sambafoot’s Youtube channel and the series will receive weekly releases to tell this legend’s life story.
