Who is Dorival Jr, the man tipped to take over Brazil job?

Sao Paulo FC boss Dorival Junior will be the new coach of the Brazilian national team, the club said Sunday, after Fernando Diniz was fired from the five-time world champions following a string of losses.

"It's a personal dream come true," the 2023 Copa do Brasil-winning coach said in a statement posted by Sao Paulo on X, formerly Twitter, after days of speculation he would be named to take over struggling Brazil.

The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) still did not confirm the announcement.

Diniz, who was appointed on an interim basis, had a one-year contract but led Brazil for six games in the 2026 World Cup qualifying round, with three defeats, one draw and two wins. He combined his work with Fluminense, the club with which he won the Copa Libertadores last year.

Dorival, 61, has more than 22 years of coaching experience having managed more than 10 clubs, all Brazilian, in his career so far, including the likes of Santos, Flamengo, and Athletico Mineiro. 

The former Palmeiras player never won a league title as manager but has three Brazilian Cups to his name that he won with his current club Sao Paulo FC, and previously with Flamengo and Santos FC in 2021-22 and 2009-10 seasons respectively. 

In the 596 matches he has managed so far, Dorival has won 279, giving him a win percentage of 47 per cent. He has drawn 143 and lost 174. Of those 596 career matches, 439 have come in the top flight of Brazilian football. 

Over the years, Dorival has opted for a 4-2-3-1 formation. Under him, the mid-block makes quick passes to get the ball up the pitch while the full-backs make forays into the final third for set-piece opportunities.

While out of possession, the defence forms a fortress in its half with two men stationed in front of the four-man backline to get the ball back and contain counterattacks.

'Brazilian Guardiola' 

Diniz, 49, who coached Rio de Janeiro club Fluminense to the 2023 Libertadores title, was hired for the Brazil job last July.

Fans had hoped his style, which focuses on improvisation and creativity, would restore the thrilling "samba football" Brazil are famous for, after the disappointment of two straight World Cup quarter-final exits under longtime coach Tite.

But Diniz, who remained coach of Fluminense, largely failed to replicate the attacking brilliance he has installed there, triggering criticism that splitting his time between the club and national team was too much.

Dorival, a nephew of legendary Palmeiras midfielder Dudu, comes with a vastly different style.

The veteran manager, who has had stints with some 20 clubs, took a sabbatical in 2015 to travel to Europe and observe coaching methods at Chelsea, Roma, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.

At the latter, he spent a month learning from a man whose "positional play" has been described as the antithesis of Diniz's style, coaching giant Pep Guardiola.

"He's the Brazilian Pep Guardiola," midfielder Thiago Maia, who played under Dorival at Santos, has said.

"He drew lots of inspiration from Bayern. He did an apprenticeship there and brought what he learned here."