Luís Castro (footballer, born 1961)

Luís Manuel Ribeiro de Castro (born 3 September 1961) is a Portuguese football manager and former player who played as a right-back. He is the current manager of Saudi Professional League club Al Nassr.

In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is Ribeiro and the second or paternal family name is Castro.
Luís Castro
Castro as manager of Shakhtar Donetsk in 2019
Personal information
Full name Luís Manuel Ribeiro de Castro
Date of birth (1961-09-03) 3 September 1961
Place of birth Mondrões, Portugal
Position(s) Right-back
Team information
Current team
 Al Nassr (manager)
Youth career
1976–1977 Vieirense
1977–1980 União Leiria
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1980–1981 União Leiria 1 (0)
1981–1982 Vieirense
1982–1985 União Leiria 46 (1)
1985–1987 Vitória Guimarães 1 (0)
1987–1989 Elvas 58 (0)
1989–1990 Fafe 6 (0)
1990–1997 Águeda 147 (3)
Managerial career
1998–2000 Águeda
2000–2001 Mealhada
2001–2003 Estarreja
2003–2004 Sanjoanense
2004–2006 Penafiel
2013–2014 Porto B
2014 Porto
2014–2016 Porto B
2016–2017 Rio Ave
2017–2018 Chaves
2018–2019 Vitória Guimarães
2019–2021 Shakhtar Donetsk
2021–2022 Al-Duhail
2022–2023 Botafogo
2023– Al Nassr
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

He played for Vitória de Guimarães and Elvas in the Primeira Liga but spent most of his career in the lower leagues. In a managerial career of over a quarter of a century he led four teams in his nation's top flight including briefly Porto, where he won the second tier with the reserve team in 2016. He also won a Ukrainian Premier League title for Shakhtar Donetsk in 2020, and worked in Qatar, Brazil and Saudi Arabia.

Early life

Castro was born in the village of Mondrões, in Vila Real. He moved to Casal dos Claros and Vieira de Leiria in the Leiria District, due to his father's military profession. At age 11, he nearly died of purpura, which stopped him from playing football for three years.[1][2]

For two years, Castro was a student of Physics at the University of Coimbra.[3][4][5]

Playing career

Castro spent most of his 17-year professional career in the lower leagues, representing U.D. Leiria, O Elvas CAD, AD Fafe and R.D. Águeda in the Segunda Liga and Vitória S.C. and Elvas in the Primeira Liga.

With the latter, he appeared in 28 matches in the 1987–88 season, but his team ranked in 15th place and suffered relegation.[6]

Managerial career

Portugal

One year after retiring from professional football, Castro began working as a manager with his final club Águeda, where he would remain for two seasons. He went on to be in charge of lowly G.D. Mealhada, C.D. Estarreja and A.D. Sanjoanense, before being appointed at F.C. Penafiel in the top tier in summer 2004[7] and guiding it to the 11th position in his debut campaign,[4] the highlight being a 1–0 home win against S.L. Benfica.[8]

Following Penafiel's relegation in 2006, Castro left the club, joining FC Porto's youth academy and eventually coaching the reserves.[9] On 5 March 2014, following the resignation of Paulo Fonseca at the helm of the main squad, he was put in interim charge until the end of the season.[10]

Castro led Porto's reserves to the LigaPro title in 2015–16; they were the first B team to win the division and as such ineligible for promotion.[11] He then managed three sides in the Portuguese top flight after leaving for Rio Ave F.C. in November 2016,[12] going on to G.D. Chaves[13] and Vitória de Guimarães.[14] In May 2019, at the end of his only campaign at the Estádio D. Afonso Henriques, he secured for them fifth place and a spot in the UEFA Europa League at the expense of neighbours Moreirense FC.[15]

Shakhtar Donetsk

On 12 June 2019, Castro signed a two-year contract at FC Shakhtar Donetsk as a replacement for compatriot Paulo Fonseca who left for A.S. Roma after winning three Ukrainian Premier League championships in a row.[16] In his first season in Eastern Europe, the team's hopes of a sixth consecutive national cup were thwarted in the last 16 by FC Dynamo Kyiv,[17] but they did win a fourth league title in a row[18] and reached the semi-finals of the Europa League.[19]

In the 2020–21 edition of the UEFA Champions League, Castro led Shakhtar to win twice over Real Madrid in the group stages,[20] yet they eventually finished third in the group and dropped into the Europa League, where they were eliminated in the round of 16 by Fonseca's A.S. Roma.[21] In April 2021, with the domestic title all but taken by their rivals Dynamo, he announced that he would leave at the end of the campaign.[22] He ended his tenure on 9 May with a 1–0 win over FC Inhulets Petrove.[23] In the Ukrainian Cup, they had a bye to the quarter-finals, where they lost 1–0 after extra time at second-tier FC Ahrobiznes Volochysk.[24]

On 12 May 2021, Shakhtar announced that Castro would be leaving the club after two years in charge.[25]

Al-Duhail

Castro agreed to a one-year contract with Al-Duhail SC of the Qatar Stars League on 10 August 2021.[26] On 18 March 2022, immediately after having won the Emir Cup by defeating Al-Gharafa SC 5–1,[27] he left by mutual consent.[28]

Botafogo

On 25 March 2022, Castro was named head coach of Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas in the Brazilian Série A, on a two-year deal.[29] A year later, during his debut campaign in the Campeonato Carioca, the team won the Taça Rio with a 7–3 aggregate win over Audax Rio de Janeiro Esporte Clube.[30]

Castro led his side to their best-ever Série A start in eight rounds, only behind SE Palmeiras' feat in the 2019 edition.[31] On 30 June 2023, he left after accepting an offer from a foreign club.[32]

Al Nassr
Castro (third from the left) on the bench for Al Nassr against Persepolis in September 2023

On 6 July 2023, Castro was appointed at Al Nassr FC of the Saudi Professional League, replacing the dismissed Rudi Garcia.[33] On 12 August, they conquered the Arab Club Champions Cup following a 2–1 victory against Al Hilal SFC.[34] He started the AFC Champions League campaign with a 2–0 win at Iran's Persepolis F.C. on 19 September.[35]

Managerial statistics
As of match played 28 October 2023[36][37][38]
Managerial record by team and tenure
Team Nat From To Record
G W D L GF GA GD Win %
Águeda Portugal 2 June 1998 21 February 2000 61 28 14 19 89 73 +16 045.90
Mealhada Portugal 17 May 2000 30 June 2001 30 18 9 3 73 18 +55 060.00
Estarreja Portugal 30 June 2001 22 May 2003 79 42 13 24 145 99 +46 053.16
Sanjoanense Portugal 22 May 2003 16 September 2004 45 22 11 12 67 47 +20 048.89
Penafiel Portugal 16 September 2004 4 June 2006 70 17 13 40 71 114 −43 024.29
Porto B Portugal 1 July 2013 4 March 2014 32 18 6 8 39 26 +13 056.25
Porto Portugal 5 March 2014 10 May 2014 16 9 2 5 25 18 +7 056.25
Porto B Portugal 11 May 2014 12 November 2016 106 48 22 36 166 133 +33 045.28
Rio Ave Portugal 12 November 2016 1 June 2017 27 13 5 9 34 26 +8 048.15
Chaves Portugal 1 June 2017 20 May 2018 37 14 8 15 51 60 −9 037.84
Vitória Guimarães Portugal 20 May 2018 12 June 2019 39 18 7 14 56 37 +19 046.15
Shakhtar Donetsk Ukraine 12 June 2019 9 May 2021 84 50 17 17 168 94 +74 059.52
Al-Duhail Qatar 11 August 2021 18 March 2022 26 18 5 3 75 30 +45 069.23
Botafogo Brazil 25 March 2022 30 June 2023 80 42 15 23 115 74 +41 052.50
Al Nassr Saudi Arabia 6 July 2023 Present 22 17 3 2 60 25 +35 077.27
Total 753 373 150 230 1,234 874 +360 049.54

Honours

Manager

Estarreja

Porto B

Shakhtar Donetsk

Al-Duhail

Botafogo

Al-Nassr

Individual

References
  1. Lopes, Norberto A. (6 May 2005). "Luís Castro: a doença mudou-lhe a vida" [Luís Castro: illness changed his life] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  2. "Luís Castro: um homem da casa, mas não só" [Luís Castro: a man of the house, but not only that] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. 5 March 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  3. Rodrigues, Berta (6 March 2014). "Luís Castro: o que podem esperar dele" [Luís Castro: what can be expected of him] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  4. Lopes, Gonçalo (20 December 2016). "Luís Castro, o ex-aluno de Física, encontrou a fórmula certa em Vila do Conde" [Luís Castro, the former Physics student, found the right formula in Vila do Conde]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). Retrieved 12 June 2019.
  5. "Quem é Luis Castro? 7 fatos que você precisa saber sobre o técnico português que o Corinthians quer" [Who is Luis Castro? 7 facts you need to know about the Portuguese manager Corinthians want] (in Portuguese). Globo Esporte. 18 February 2022. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  6. "Época 1987/88: Primeira Divisão" [1987/88 season: First Division] (in Portuguese). Arquivos da Bola. 15 July 2007. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  7. "Luís Castro sucede a Manuel Fernandes" [Luís Castro succeeds Manuel Fernandes]. Record (in Portuguese). 17 September 2004. Archived from the original on 8 March 2014. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
  8. "Penafiel-Benfica, 1–0. Não foi só aritmética, foi um golpe no sonho" [Penafiel-Benfica, 1–0. It was not only arithmetics, it was a blow to the dream]. Record (in Portuguese). 8 May 2005. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  9. "Luís Castro vai treinar equipa" [Luís Castro is going to manage team]. Record (in Portuguese). 19 June 2013. Archived from the original on 8 March 2014. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
  10. "Porto sack coach Paulo Fonseca after nine months in charge". BBC Sport. 5 March 2014. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
  11. Monteiro, André (12 May 2016). "Equipa B entrega troféu da 2.ª Liga a Pinto da Costa" [B team give 2nd League trophy to Pinto da Costa]. Record (in Portuguese). Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  12. Veloso Gomes, André (14 November 2016). "Luís Castro no Rio Ave: "Obra no FC Porto estava feita"" [Luís Castro in Rio Ave: "Work in FC Porto was done"]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). Retrieved 21 May 2018.
  13. "Luís Castro é o novo treinador do Chaves" [Luís Castro is the new manager of Chaves]. Record (in Portuguese). 1 June 2017. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
  14. Pires, Sérgio; Ferreira, Bruno José (20 May 2018). "Luís Castro assina por dois anos pelo Vitória de Guimarães" [Luís Castro signs for two years with Vitória de Guimarães] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
  15. "Luís Castro: "Ajudei o nosso Vitória chegar à Liga Europa"" [Luís Castro: "I helped our Vitória to reach the Europa League"] (in Portuguese). Mais Guimarães. 19 May 2019. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
  16. "Ucrânia. Luís Castro oficializado no Shakhtar" [Ukraine. Luís Castro made official at Shakhtar]. Sol (in Portuguese). 12 June 2019. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
  17. "Shakhtar de Luís Castro eliminado na Taça da Ucrânia" [Luís Castro's Shakhtar eliminated from the Ukrainian Cup]. Público (in Portuguese). 30 October 2019. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
  18. "Shakhtar Donetsk, de Luís Castro, campeão na Ucrânia" [Shakhtar Donetsk, of Luís Castro, Ukrainian champions] (in Portuguese). SIC Notícias. 20 June 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  19. Campanale, Susy (17 August 2020). "Castro: 'Inter proved superiority'". Football Italia. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  20. "Champions League: Shakhtar sink Real Madrid again as Inter keep hopes alive". The Guardian. 1 December 2020. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  21. "Shakhtar Donetsk 1–2 Roma". UEFA. 18 March 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  22. "Luís Castro está de saída do Shakhtar" [Luís Castro is leaving Shakhtar]. Record (in Portuguese). 23 April 2021. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
  23. "Ucrânia: Luís Castro despede-se do Shakhtar com vitória" [Ukraine: Luís Castro signs off from Shakhtar with victory] (in Portuguese). TVI 24. 9 May 2021. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
  24. "Shakhtar Donetsk eliminado na Taça da Ucrânia por equipa da segunda divisão" [Shakhtar Donetsk eliminated from the Ukrainian Cup by team from the second division] (in Portuguese). SAPO. 3 March 2021. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
  25. "Thank you, Mr Castro!". Shakhtar Donetsk. 12 May 2021. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  26. "Luís Castro é o novo treinador do Al-Duhail" [Luís Castro is the new manager of Al-Duhail] (in Portuguese). Rádio Renascença. 10 August 2021. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  27. "Luís Castro conquista Taça do Emir na despedida do Al Duhail" [Luís Castro conquers Emir Cup in farewell to Al Duhail]. Record (in Portuguese). 18 March 2022. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  28. "The club's management agrees to Castro's desire to leave". Al-Duhail SC. 13 March 2022. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  29. "Bem-vindo, professor!" [Welcome, professor!] (in Portuguese). Botafogo FR. 25 March 2022. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  30. "Luís Castro conquista Taça Rio pelo Botafogo" [Luís Castro conquers Rio Cup for Botafogo]. Record (in Portuguese). 9 April 2023. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  31. Santana, Sergio (28 May 2023). "Botafogo tem segunda melhor campanha da história do Brasileirão após oito rodadas" [Botafogo have second-best campaign of Brasileirão's history after eight rounds] (in Portuguese). Globo Esporte. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  32. "Nota oficial" [Official note] (in Portuguese). Botafogo FR. 30 June 2023. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  33. "Al-Nassr appoints Luis Castro as new head coach". Saudi Gazette. 6 July 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  34. "Al Nassr 2–1 Al Hilal, Arab Club Champions Cup final Highlights: Ronaldo's brace leads Nassr to trophy". The Hindu. 13 August 2023. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  35. "Group E: Persepolis FC (IRN) 0–2 Al Nassr (KSA)". Asian Football Confederation. 19 September 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  36. "Luís Castro". Zerozero. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  37. Luís Castro coach profile at Soccerway
  38. Luís Castro manager stats at ForaDeJogo (archived)
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