Brazil are now on their third coach in a post-World Cup procession. But, unlike the previous two, Dorival Junior is no stand in. The 61-year-old has left Sao Paulo to take charge of the national team up until the 2026 World Cup.
The period of waiting for Carlo Ancelotti is at an end. Brazil knew they were waiting in vain at the end of last month when the Italian manager extended his current deal with Real Madrid, and the appointment of Dorival has everything to do with Brazil's flirtation with Ancelotti.
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As a player, Dorival was a journeyman central midfielder, and there is something of a journeyman air to his coaching CV -- since 2002 he has been in charge of 20 different teams in a total of 25 separate spells. But in the past few years, things have looked up for him. First he survived a prostate cancer scare in 2019, and then he started to land some serious silverware.
In an otherwise unremarkable season with Sao Paulo last year, he won the highly prestigious domestic cup. But the crunch period was the second half of 2022, when he took over Rio de Janeiro giants Flamengo on a short-term basis after the failure of Portuguese coach Paulo Sousa. Dorival took the team to triumph in the domestic cup and in the Copa Libertadores, South America's Champions League.
His reward? His contract was not renewed, with Flamengo opting to bring in Vitor Pereira, another Portuguese coach.
Dorival may not have been pleased with the decision, but others were outraged, especially when Pereira proved a disappointment. Many, especially among the old guard, are not happy with the recent foreign invasion of Brazilian coaching jobs. The wait for Ancelotti, of course, was a powerful example of the trend. And so Dorival became a rallying point for those who favour domestic solutions. The whole fuss brought him an abrupt change of status -- from someone who in two spells at Flamengo was seen as a temporary solution, to the great long-term hope of Brazilian coaching, along with Fernando Diniz of Fluminense.
Diniz made an unwise decision to combine two jobs and take charge of the Brazil side as Ancelotti's stand-in, possibly with an eye on taking over permanently should the flirt with the Italian lead no further. A succession of defeats and appalling performances have seen him removed -- after six rounds Brazil lie sixth in South America's World Cup qualifiers -- and so Dorival is the last man standing, the popular local choice to lead Brazil to the 2026 World Cup.
He is an unlikely popular symbol. There is none of the steely eyed man of destiny aura of, say, a Luiz Felipe Scolari, nor the air of a man burning with an idea like Diniz. Dorival is low profile, low ego, low charisma. He does not cut an impressive figure as a public speaker. But therein lie some of his virtues. His quiet brand of flexibility often makes him popular with his players, and also means that he can switch around with systems and bring out the best of the resources at his disposal.
Both of these sides of Dorival were certainly in evidence in those few months with Flamengo in 2022. The squad enjoyed working with him, and he found a way to get a group of attacking stars to fire together. Some downplayed his achievement, saying that he had merely done the simple things. But so often when things look simple, it is because a lot of hard work has taken place behind the scenes.
Another one of his standout teams was the 2010 model of Santos, where the teenage Neymar was the star. Everyone else in Brazilian football at the time was looking to attack down the flanks. Dorival's team surprised by playing through the middle, and for a few months he came up with a highly promising blend.
But it all ended in tears. After missing some penalties, Neymar was not allowed to take one against Atletico Goianiense. He threw an extraordinary tantrum, delaying the restart of the game. The opposing coach, the vastly experienced Rene Simoes, was horrified, fearing that Brazilian football was creating a monster. Dorival thought that Neymar needed some schooling and gave him a suspension. But the next game was against Corinthians, the historic rivals of Santos. The club's directors decided that they wanted their star player more than their coach, and Dorival was sacked.
Now, of course, Dorival will be working with -- and against -- these kinds of stars, players better than those he is accustomed to dealing with in domestic Brazilian football. Those Brazilian players who seemed most supportive of a Ancelotti figure coming in were the European-based stars, a globalised group less hung up on nationality. Dorival will have to win them over, convince them that his domestic experience can be transferred to the international stage.
But he starts with plenty of local support. And his first game -- a meeting with England at Wembley on March 23 -- is a significant one. Pelé never got to play there with the national team. Dorival goes there to make his coaching debut.