On Sunday, the NFF confirmed the appointment of Jose Peseiro as the new Head Coach of the Super Eagles. The Portuguese is set to take charge immediately, subject to the signing of agreed terms with the NFF.
With the 62- year-old relatively unknown, here are five things you should know about the new Super Eagles Head Coach.
1. Wealth of Experience Spanning Almost 20 Years
Born on 4 April 1960, José Vítor dos Santos Peseiro is a Portuguese football manager and former player.
After a somewhat unsuccessful career as a footballer, he started his managerial career in 1992 with UD Santarem in his country, Portugal.
He has gone on to coach the likes of Sporting Lisbon, Porto, and Braga and in 2003 he was assistant coach to Carlos Quieroz at Real Madrid. Peseiro has also managed Al Ahly, Al Hilal, Al-Wahda FC, and Sharjah FC, all in Arab countries.
As a national team coach, he took charge of Saudi Arabia between February 2009 and January 2011.
His most recent appointment was with the Venezuelan national team in 2020.
2. Not New to African Football
In what should be a good sign for the Super Eagles, Jose Peseiro is no stranger to African football, having coached Egyptian side Al-Ahly between 2015 and 2016.
He won the Egyptian League title in his short spell there.
3. First Portuguese to Coach the Super Eagles
The Super Eagles have had the knack of having foreign managers over the years with the likes of Clemens Westerhof, Bonfrere Jo, Berti Vogts, and most recently Gernot Rohr.
None has been Portuguese, until José Peseiro.
Reportedly recommended by Jose Mourinho, it is expected that he hits the ground running.
4. Won Two Trophies
For a managerial career spanning almost 20 years with 17 teams managed, Jose Peseiro has only won two trophies.
He won his first - the Portuguese Cup - as a manager with Braga in 2013.
He then led Egyptian giants Al Ahly to the Egyptian Premier League title in 2016.
He has however come close to winning the UEFA Cup for Sporting Lisbon in 2005, losing 3-1 in the final to CSKA Moscow.
5. Poor Record with National Teams
In a not-so-good omen for the Super Eagles, Jose Peseiro has a poor record as manager of national teams.
He was in charge for 17 games as the manager of Saudi Arabia, winning seven, drawing six, and losing four. That’s a win percentage of 35%.
He also failed to qualify the Arab nation for the 2010 World Cup.
For Venezuela, it was worse. One win in 10 games with six losses and three draws.
He was in charge during their disastrous 2021 Copa America outing which had the team eliminated from the group stage after two draws and two defeats.
He resigned in August 2021 over the non-payment of his salaries for a year.
