Manuel Machado (football manager)

In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is Marques and the second or paternal family name is Machado.
Manuel Machado
Machado in 2012
Personal information
Full name Manuel António Marques Machado
Date of birth 4 December 1955
Place of birth Oliveira, Portugal
Managerial career
Years Team
1992–1993 Vitória Guimarães (youth)
1993 Vila Real
1995–1996 Vitória Guimarães (caretaker)
1998–2000 Fafe
2000–2004 Moreirense
2004–2005 Vitória Guimarães
2005–2006 Nacional
2006–2007 Académica
2007–2008 Braga
2008–2009 Nacional
2010 Nacional
2010–2011 Vitória Guimarães
2012 Aris
2012–2016 Nacional
2017 Arouca
2017 Moreirense
2020–2021 Berço
2021 Nacional

Manuel António Marques Machado (born 4 December 1955) is a Portuguese football manager.

In a career of nearly three decades, he was most associated with Nacional, whom he led in five spells and always in the Primeira Liga. In the top flight he was also in charge of Vitória de Guimarães (three spells), Moreirense (twice), Académica, Braga and Arouca. Abroad, he had a brief spell at Aris in Super League Greece.

Football career

Early career

Born in the village of Oliveira, in Guimarães, Machado started his career with his local Vitória de Guimarães' youths, having a head coach spell with lowly S.C. Vila Real in between. After two years with another modest club in the north, AD Fafe, he moved to another side in his region, Moreirense F.C. in 2000, helping to promotion from the third division to the Primeira Liga in just two years.

Machado coached the team from Moreira de Cónegos to a comfortable 12th position in their debut season, and ninth the following campaign, after which he returned to Guimarães. His first game on 29 August 2004 was a goalless draw away to his former employers, eventually finishing fifth and qualifying for the UEFA Cup.

First Nacional spell, Académica and Braga

Machado signed for C.D. Nacional subsequently, helping the Madeirans to finish fifth, with qualification for the UEFA Cup. He left in May 2006 as his wife and children were staying in mainland Portugal, signing for Académica de Coimbra. After a 13th-place finish in his one full season, he left by mutual consent on 10 September 2007 having taken one point from the first three games.

On 7 November 2007, Machado was hired at S.C. Braga, succeeding Jorge Costa at the 8th-placed team. He resigned the following 22 April, with the team practically out of the running for European places with three games to go.

Nacional and Guimarães returns

Machado rejoined Nacional for 2008–09, equalling the club's best-ever finish as fourth. However, on 13 December 2009, he announced he would leave the benches for a period, after surgery-related complications; he was replaced by assistant Predrag Jokanović, and eventually left his post at the end of the campaign, replaced by precisely the Serbian.

On 2 June 2010, Machado returned to Vitória Guimarães, taking the Minho team to the final of the Taça de Portugal in his first season. On 26 August 2011, he left the Estádio D. Afonso Henriques after Europa League elimination at the hands of Atlético Madrid (6–0 on aggregate, 4–0 home loss in the second game).

On 17 January 2012, Machado signed for the only foreign job of his entire career, at Aris Thessaloniki F.C. of Super League Greece. He signed for the 10th-placed club for the rest of the season.

Machado signed with Nacional for a third spell on 13 October 2012, replacing the fired Pedro Caixinha. A contract termination by mutual consent was reached on 28 December 2016, as the team ranked third-bottom in the league and tied for points with the first side inside the relegation zone, having also been ousted from the Portuguese Cup. He was also relieved of his duties at F.C. Arouca on 21 March 2017, becoming the first manager to be fired by two teams in the season, as both eventually dropped down a tier.

Later career

On 27 May 2017, Machado signed a one-year contract with former club Moreirense. On 29 October, as they were placed second from the bottom in the top division, he was dismissed.

In April 2020, Machado was named as manager of local third tier club Berço SC for the upcoming season. Eleven months later, he activated a clause allowing him to move freely to a top-flight club, and returned to relegation-threatened Nacional.

Managerial statistics

As of 25 July 2021
Managerial record by team and tenure
Team Nat From To Record
G W D L GF GA GD Win %
Vila Real 6 June 1993 22 November 1993 13 4 5 4 15 11 +4 030.77
Vitória Guimarães (caretaker) 18 December 1995 14 January 1996 5 2 1 2 7 5 +2 040.00
Fafe 26 June 1998 2 July 2000 78 35 23 20 138 93 +45 044.87
Moreirense 2 July 2000 7 June 2004 155 73 38 44 230 168 +62 047.10
Vitória Guimarães 8 June 2004 23 May 2005 37 17 9 11 43 33 +10 045.95
Nacional 2 July 2005 9 May 2006 37 15 12 10 43 33 +10 040.54
Académica 15 May 2006 10 September 2007 38 9 9 20 36 58 −22 023.68
Braga 12 November 2007 21 April 2008 24 6 10 8 24 30 −6 025.00
Nacional 21 May 2008 29 November 2009 60 28 16 16 93 74 +19 046.67
Nacional 26 January 2010 16 May 2010 14 3 6 5 12 17 −5 021.43
Vitória Guimarães 24 May 2010 26 August 2011 46 19 9 18 55 59 −4 041.30
Aris 16 January 2012 30 June 2012 14 6 4 4 17 19 −2 042.86
Nacional 12 October 2012 28 December 2016 168 57 42 69 222 234 −12 033.93
Arouca 11 February 2017 21 March 2017 5 0 0 5 3 14 −11 000.00
Moreirense 27 May 2017 29 October 2017 13 3 4 6 10 19 −9 023.08
Berço 1 July 2020 22 March 2021 17 6 5 6 23 22 +1 035.29
Nacional 22 March 2021 22 May 2021 11 1 1 9 9 27 −18 009.09
Total 735 284 194 257 980 916 +64 038.64

Honours

Moreirense

Vitória Guimarães