Scolari takes over Atlético Mineiro and resumes career as a coach

The Brazilian returns to the dugout six months after retiring from coaching
by
Martín O'Donnell
2023-06-19 20:50:30

Eduardo Coudet suddenly left Atlético Mineiro, leaving a huge vacancy in Belo Horizonte. In a surprising turn of events, the Galo pulled off a huge move by convincing Luiz Felipe Scolari to come out of retirement and take charge of the team.

The club’s original idea was reportedly to appoint Bruno Lage, but the Portuguese turned them down to continue looking for a job in Europe. Felipão was working as technical director at Athletico Paranaense, where he served as coach until last year.

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Scolari unretires to coach Atlético Mineiro

This is certainly an interesting hire by Mineiro, and also a great opportunity for Scolari, who signed a contract until December 2024. Coudet left the team in fourth place in the Brasileirão, while it’s on the verge of making the Conmebol Libertadores knockout stages.

Scolari will reunite with striker Hulk, with whom he worked at the 2014 World Cup. At 74, Felipão is ready to get back to doing what he does best: coaching a team with serious aspirations. Last year, he took Athletico Paranaense to the Libertadores final, so Mineiro fans have reasons for optimism.

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