Jorge Fernando Pinheiro de Jesus (; born 24 July 1954) is a Portuguese professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...

and former player. Most recently he was the manager of

Saudi Pro League The Saudi Pro League (SPL), also known as the Roshn Saudi League (RSL) for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Saudi Arabia and the highest level of the Saudi football league system. The SPL is regarded as th ...

club Al Hilal. He started his career with

Sporting CP Sporting Clube de Portugal (), otherwise referred to as Sporting CP or simply Sporting (particularly within Portugal), or as Sporting Lisbon in other countries,

, going on to play for 12 other clubs in 17 years as a professional, which included nine

Primeira Liga The Primeira Liga (), also known as Liga Portugal Betclic for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Portugal and the highest level of the Portuguese football league system. Organised and supervised by the Liga ...

seasons. Jesus began a coaching career in 1990, and his first stop in the main category was with

Felgueiras Felgueiras () is a municipality in Porto District, Portugal. The current mayor is Nuno Fonseca. There are two cities located in the municipality: Felgueiras (city status received on 13 July 1990) and Lixa. The population in 2011 was 58,065, in a ...

in the 1995–96 campaign. He went on to work with several teams, arriving at Benfica in 2009 and winning ten trophies (a club record for a single manager, winning all domestic trophies at least once) as well as reaching two

UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...

finals with them in six seasons. He became manager of

Flamengo Clube de Regatas do Flamengo (; ), more commonly referred to as simply Flamengo, is a Brazilian multi sports club based in Rio de Janeiro, in the neighborhood of Gávea. It was founded and named after the Flamengo, Rio de Janeiro, Flamengo n ...

in 2019 and won the

Copa Libertadores The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as Copa Libertadores de América (), is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in South American club football. The tournam ...

and in his first year. He returned to Benfica in 2020 and did not win a single trophy despite a Portuguese record investment during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. He was twice considered one of the ten best club coaches in the world by the

International Federation of Football History & Statistics The International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) is an organisation that chronicles the history and records of association football. It was founded in 1984 by Alfredo Pöge in Leipzig. The IFFHS was based in Abu Dhabi for so ...

, in 2013 (eighth place) and in 2019 (7th place).

Playing career

Jesus, son of Virgolino António de Jesus who played for

Sporting CP Sporting Clube de Portugal (), otherwise referred to as Sporting CP or simply Sporting (particularly within Portugal), or as Sporting Lisbon in other countries,

in the 1940s, was born in

Amadora Amadora (), officially Amadora City (), is a List of cities in Portugal, city and concelho, municipality in the northwest of the Lisbon metropolitan area and 10 km from central Lisbon. The population in 2011 was 175,136, in an area of 23.78&nb ...

, Lisbon, and finished his football formation with the same club, making his top flight debut with

Olhanense Sporting Clube Olhanense (), commonly known as Olhanense, is a Portuguese sports club from Olhão, Algarve. Its football team was founded on 27 April 1912 and currently plays in the Algarve Football Association First Division, the fifth tier of ...

on loan from the ''Lions''. He played with Sporting's first team in the 1975–76 season, appearing in 12 matches and starting once as the

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

club finished in fifth place. Subsequently, released, he played in the country's top flight in seven of the following eight years, representing

Belenenses Clube de Futebol Os Belenenses (), commonly known as Os Belenenses or simply Belenenses, is a Portuguese sports club best known for its football team. Founded in 1919, it is one of the oldest Portuguese sports clubs. It is based in the 19,856 ...

, Grupo Desportivo Riopele,

Juventude de Évora Juventude Sport Clube, also commonly known as Juventude de Évora, (abbreviated Juv. Évora) is an amateur sports club based in Évora, Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in South ...

União de Leiria União Desportiva de Leiria (), commonly known as União de Leiria, is a Portuguese professional Association football, football club based in Leiria. Founded on 6 June 1966, it currently plays in the Liga Portugal 2, holding home matches at Está ...

Vitória de Setúbal Vitoria or Vitória may refer to: People * Francisco de Vitoria (c. 1483–1546), a Spanish Renaissance theologian * Alberto Vitoria (1956–2010), Spanish footballer * Rui Vitória (born 1970), Portuguese retired footballer * Sofia Vitória (bor ...

and Farense, amassing totals in the category of 166 games and 14 goals. Jesus retired in 1990 at the age of 36, after spells in the

second The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of U ...

(mainly with his hometown

Estrela da Amadora Club Football Estrela Amadora SAD (), sometimes just Estrela da Amadora, is a Portuguese professional sports club (predominantly football) based in Amadora, northwest of Lisbon. The team is currently competing in the Primeira Liga, after winnin ...

) and third levels.

Managerial career

Early years

After starting as a manager with lowly Amora, Jesus moved in December 1993 to

as a replacement for

Rodolfo Reis Rodolfo dos Reis Ferreira (born 29 January 1954 in Porto) is a Portuguese former football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal ...

, helping the club promote to the top flight in his second season and being in and out of the team until January 1998, with Felgueiras back in division two. Subsequently, he led former team Estrela da Amadora to two consecutive eighth-place finishes in the first division and, in quick succession, managed both Vitória de Setúbal and Amadora, celebrating top flight promotions with both even though he was fired by the latter in March 2003. In 2003–04 he helped

Vitória de Guimarães Vitoria or Vitória may refer to: People * Francisco de Vitoria (c. 1483–1546), a Spanish Renaissance theologian * Alberto Vitoria (1956–2010), Spanish footballer * Rui Vitória (born 1970), Portuguese retired footballer * Sofia Vitória (bor ...

narrowly avoid relegation, finishing two points ahead of first relegated team

Alverca Alverca do Ribatejo () is a city (''cidade'') and a former civil parish in the municipality of Vila Franca de Xira, Portugal. In 2013, the parish merged into the new parish Alverca do Ribatejo e Sobralinho. It covers an area of and had a pop ...

. In the following four years, always in division one, Jesus was in charge of

Moreirense Moreirense Futebol Clube is a Portuguese professional football club based in Moreira de Cónegos, Guimarães Municipality, Minho. Founded on 1 November 1938, it plays in the Primeira Liga, holding home games at Parque de Jogos Comendador Joaquim d ...

( suffering relegation), União de Leiria and Belenenses, finishing fifth with the latter and

qualifying Qualification may refer to: Processes * Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS), a competitive contract procurement process established by the United States Congress * Process qualification, ensures that manufacturing and production processes can ...

to the

UEFA Cup The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...

, and adding a presence in the 2007

Portuguese Cup Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

final, losing 0–1 to Sporting. On 20 May 2008, one day after leaving Belenenses, Jesus took over at

Braga Braga (; ) is a cities of Portugal, city and a Municipalities of Portugal, municipality, capital of the northwestern Portugal, Portuguese Braga (district), district of Braga and of the historical and cultural Minho Province. Braga Municipality ...

, leading the

Minho Minho or Miño may refer to: People * Miño (surname) * Choi Min-ho, South Korean singer and actor known mononymously as Minho Places * Minho (river) or Miño, in Portugal and Spain Jamaica * Rio Minho, a river Portugal * Minho Province ...

side to the fifth position in the league and the round-of-16 in the

. Highlights in the latter competition included a 3–0 home win against

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

and a last-minute 0–1 defeat to

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

at the

San Siro San Siro is a football stadium in the San Siro district of Milan, Italy. It has a seating capacity of 75,817, making it the largest stadium in Italy and one of the largest stadiums in Europe. It is the home stadium of the city's principal ...

. He won the last edition of the

UEFA Intertoto Cup The UEFA Intertoto Cup (from , "between" and , " betting pool"),Most precisely, from ( football pool); cf. originally called the International Football Cup, was a summer football competition between European clubs. The competition was dis ...

, something never achieved by other Portuguese club.

Benfica

2009–10: First season

On 17 June 2009, Jesus replaced Quique Flores at the helm of Benfica. In his first year, he led Benfica to the first division title after a five-year wait, with only two league defeats and 78 goals scored, also reaching the quarter-finals in the Europa League, losing to

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

on a 3–5 aggregate score (this would be the last match Benfica would lose in a run that lasted 27 games); he quickly implemented a 4–1–3–2 formation which resulted in highly attractive football. On 5 October 2009, Jesus achieved his 100th victory in the Portuguese League, in a 3–1 home win against

Paços de Ferreira Paços de Ferreira () is a city in the Porto District, in the north of Portugal. The population of the city in 2011 was 7491, while its municipality had 56,340 inhabitants, in an area of 70.99 km². Sometimes referred to as the ''Capital do ...

. The following month he experienced his first

Lisbon derby The Derby de Lisboa or Dérbi de Lisboa (English: Lisbon derby) is the biggest List of association football club rivalries in Europe#Portugal, football derby match in Portugal. It is played between Lisbon-based clubs S.L. Benfica, Benfica and Spo ...

, which ended in a 0–0 away draw; at the end of the victorious campaign, which also brought the domestic League Cup, the coach was rewarded with a new contract extension, running until 2013.

2010–2013: European improvement and domestic disappointment

After a 2–0 win at

VfB Stuttgart Verein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V. (), commonly known as VfB Stuttgart (), is a German professional sports club based in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. The club's Association football, football team is currently part of Germany's f ...

in that season's Europa League (4–1 on aggregate), Benfica's first ever victory in Germany, Jesus surpassed the record held by

Jimmy Hagan James Hagan (21 January 1918 – 26 February 1998) was an English association football, football player and manager. He played between 1938 and 1958 for Sheffield United F.C., Sheffield United and once for England national football team, Engla ...

1972–73 Year 197 ( CXCVII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Magius and Rufinus (or, less frequently, year 950 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 197 for this y ...

team, with 16 consecutive wins. During the league campaign, which started without departed

Ángel Di María Ángel Fabián Di María (; born 14 February 1988) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a right winger for Primeira Liga club Benfica. Widely regarded as one of the greatest Argentine players of all time and one of the best pl ...

and

Ramires Ramires Santos do Nascimento (; born 24 March 1987), known as Ramires, is a Brazilian former professional footballer. A midfielder, he was comfortable playing in either the centre or right midfielder position. He normally played as a box-to ...

, the lack of

rotation Rotation or rotational/rotary motion is the circular movement of an object around a central line, known as an ''axis of rotation''. A plane figure can rotate in either a clockwise or counterclockwise sense around a perpendicular axis intersect ...

caused a major

fatigue Fatigue is a state of tiredness (which is not sleepiness), exhaustion or loss of energy. It is a signs and symptoms, symptom of any of various diseases; it is not a disease in itself. Fatigue (in the medical sense) is sometimes associated wit ...

in the most used players. At the end of the season, Benfica only won the League Cup despite setting a domestic record of 18 consecutive wins in all competitions. In the 2011–12 season, Jesus guided Benfica to the second place in the league. He led the team to a club's fourth League Cup, and to the knockout rounds of the 2011–12 Champions League, defeating

Zenit Saint Petersburg Football Club Zenit (, ), also known as Zenit Saint Petersburg or simply Zenit, is a Russian professional football club based in Saint Petersburg. Founded in 1925 (or in 1914, according to some Russian sources), the club plays in the Russian Pr ...

first, before losing to Chelsea, in the

quarter-finals A single-elimination knockout, or sudden-death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of a match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final match-up, w ...

. On 10 December 2012, after a 3–1

away Away may refer to: Film and television * ''Away'' (2016 film), a British film directed by David Blair * ''Away'' (2019 film), a Latvian animated silent film by Gints Zilbalodis * Away (2025 film), a drama film by Gerard Oms * ''Away'' (TV series ...

victory against Sporting, Jesus became the most successful Portuguese coach in the capital derby with seven wins in a total of nine, surpassing

Toni Toni, Toñi or Tóni is a unisex given name used in several European countries as well as among individuals with ancestry from these countries outside Europe. In Spanish language, Spanish, Italian language, Italian, Croatian language, Croatian an ...

(6/10). On 26 January of the following year he defeated former side Braga at the

Estádio Municipal de Braga The Estádio Municipal de Braga (') is an All-seater stadium, all-seater Association football, football stadium located in Braga, Portugal, and the current home of S.C. Braga, Sporting Clube de Braga. It has a capacity of 30,286 spectators, maki ...

for the first time, after three defeats and one draw. He briefly led the

league League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football * ''League of Legends'', a 2009 multiplayer online battle a ...

with a five-point advantage but did not maintain it, finishing in the second place again. On 15 March 2013, in a match against

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...

in the campaign's Europa League, Jesus reached the 200 game-milestone with Benfica, becoming the sixth coach in the club's history to do so. During the season, he led the club to its first

European European, or Europeans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe and other West ...

final in 23 years: after coming third in its group in the

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...

, the side reached the final of the Europa League, losing 1–2 to Champions League winners Chelsea. Domestically, Benfica finished second in the league despite leading up to second to last day, and reached the final of the Portuguese Cup, their first since 2004–05, suffering an unexpected defeat at the hands of Guimarães; these losses added great pressure on the coach, as the club ended the season trophyless for the first time since 2007–08.

2013–2015: Six pieces of silverware

On 4 June 2013, Jesus renewed his contract for a further two seasons. When police attempted to clear Benfica supporters from the pitch at the end of a match at Guimarães in September, he became physically involved, taking the side of supporters while obstructing the police. The

Portuguese Football Federation The Portuguese Football Federation ( , FPF) is the governing body of Association football, football in Portugal. The federation was formed in 1914 as Portuguese Football Union (, UPF) by the three existing regional associations of Lisbon Footbal ...

gave him a 30-day suspension, which meant he would miss four league matches, and fined him €5,355. On 11 February 2014, Jesus won his tenth game (2–0) against Sporting, which draw two and won only one as an opposing coach. On 20 March, he surpassed John Mortimore's 1985–86 record of 918 minutes without conceding a goal at home matches. Jesus led Benfica to its 33rd title on 20 April 2014, and became the second Portuguese coach to win two national championships for the club after Toni. Four days earlier the team had beat

Porto Porto (), also known in English language, English as Oporto, is the List of cities in Portugal, second largest city in Portugal, after Lisbon. It is the capital of the Porto District and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto c ...

3–1 in spite of being reduced to ten men with 1 hour left to play, thus reaching the final of the Portuguese Cup for the second consecutive time. On 28 April 2014, Jesus managed to put Benfica in another final, that of the domestic League Cup, eliminating Porto at the Dragão on penalties in spite of being reduced to ten men with 1 hour left to play again. The trophy was won at

Leiria Leiria () is a city and municipality in the Central Region, Portugal, Central Region of Portugal. It is the 2nd largest city in that same region, after Coimbra, with a municipality population of 128,640 (as of 2021) in an area of . It is the seat o ...

on 7 May against

Rio Ave Rio Ave Futebol Clube, commonly known as Rio Ave (), is a Portuguese professional football club based in Vila do Conde, that competes in the Primeira Liga. The club is named after the Ave River, which flows through the town and into the Atlant ...

, securing his fourth in the competition and the club's fifth. On 1 May 2014, Jesus helped the club

progress Progress is movement towards a perceived refined, improved, or otherwise desired state. It is central to the philosophy of progressivism, which interprets progress as the set of advancements in technology, science, and social organization effic ...

to its second consecutive Europa League final, by defeating

Juventus Juventus Football Club (; from , ), commonly known as Juventus or colloquially as Juve (), is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football clubs in Italy, club based in Turin, Piedmont, who compete in Serie A, the ...

2–1 on aggregate after a goalless draw in

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

. The Portuguese lost on penalties 13 days later in the same city to

Sevilla Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula. Seville ...

and he stated that referee

Felix Brych Felix Brych (born 3 August 1975) is a German football referee. He referees for SV Am Hart München of the Bavarian Football Association. He is a former FIFA referee and was ranked as a UEFA elite category referee. Refereeing career Brych starte ...

overlooked three penalty decisions for Benfica. On 18 May 2014, after seeing out Rio Ave in the Portuguese Cup final, Jesus became the first Portuguese coach and the seventh overall to win the double for Benfica (the tenth in the club's history). He also became the first coach in Portugal to conquer the domestic treble in one season (the club's first ever). On 10 August 2014, Jesus won his first Supertaça, as he surpassed

János Biri János Biri (21 July 1901 – 29 March 1983) was a Hungarian footballer and coach. Biri played as a goalkeeper for a number of clubs, most notably Padova and MTK Budapest FC, also representing Hungary in the 1924 Summer Olympics. He is bes ...

as the coach with most matches at Benfica (273) and also tied with

Cosme Damião Cosme Damião (2 November 1885 – 12 June 1947) was a Portuguese football player-coach for S.L. Benfica. A former midfielder, he is remembered as the main force behind the birth of Benfica and one of the first great Portuguese football players ...

in number of trophies won (8), surpassing both János Biri and

Otto Glória Otto Martins Glória (9 January 1917 – 4 September 1986) was a Brazilian football coach. Career Glória was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, but had his greatest successes with Benfica in Portugal, guiding the club to nine national trophies. ...

. With that victory, he became the first coach to win Primeira Liga, Taça de Portugal, Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira and Taça da Liga (furthermore, in a year). He continued to break club records, becoming the coach with most victories (195) on 27 September 2014, in a win against

Estoril Estoril () is a town in the civil parish of Cascais e Estoril of the Portuguese Municipality of Cascais, on the Portuguese Riviera. It is a popular tourist destination, with hotels, beaches, and the Casino Estoril. It has been home to numero ...

. On 18 January 2015, Jesus reached the 300th game milestone at Benfica, with the highest winning percentage since Jimmy Hagan in the early 1970s, and on 26 April he surpassed Otto Glória as the coach with the most league matches at Benfica. On 17 May 2015, Jesus guided the club to its second consecutive league title, making it the first time Benfica won back-to-back league titles since 1984 (31 years), after

Sven-Göran Eriksson Sven-Göran Eriksson (; 5 February 1948 – 26 August 2024) was a Swedish association football, football player and Coach (sport), manager. After a playing career as a right-back, Eriksson went on to experience major success in club management ...

, and became the first Portuguese coach to win two consecutive league titles at Benfica. On 29 May 2015, he won his fifth Taça da Liga (the club's sixth), and became the Benfica coach with most titles won (10) and the only to win 3 titles in two consecutive seasons. On 4 June 2015, Benfica announced they had concluded negotiations on a possible renewal of contract with Jesus, whose contract ended on 30 June.

Sporting CP

On 5 June 2015, Jesus signed a three-year contract with Benfica's Lisbon rivals Sporting CP, starting his functions on 1 July and earning €5 million per year. His first official match as Sporting coach was a

encounter with Benfica in the 2015 Supertaça, which Sporting won 1–0. Despite a positive start, he then failed to qualify for the

and did not win any other trophy, finishing second in the

with 86 points (a club record), two points behind Benfica. In May 2016, Jesus renewed his contract with Sporting and started earning €6 million a year until 2019. However, the 2016–17 season was trophyless. In the following season, on 15 May 2018, Jesus, along with assistant coach Raul José and several players, was injured following an attack by around 50 supporters of Sporting at the club's training ground after the team finished third in the league and missed out on the UEFA Champions League qualification. Five days later, Sporting lost the Portuguese Cup final to

Aves Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweight ...

, making Jesus the first manager to have lost in the final with three clubs.

Al-Hilal

On 5 June 2018, Jesus left Portugal for the first time in his career and took charge of Saudi incumbent national champions Al Hilal. In his first game on 17 August, he won the

Saudi Super Cup The Saudi Super Cup () is the annual super cup tournament in Saudi Arabian football. Founded in 2013 as a two-team competition, the Super Cup has been contested by four teams since 2022: the winners and runners-up of the King's Cup and the Sa ...

with a 2–1 victory over

Al-Ittihad Al-Ittihad may refer to: Sports Football Men Teams * Al-Ittihad Club (Jeddah), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia * Al Ittihad SCSC (Tripoli), Tripoli, Libya * Al Ittihad Gheryan, Gharyan, Libya * Al Ittihad Misurata SC, Misurata, Libya * Al Ittihad SC ...

in London. Although he had a record of sixteen wins and only one defeat in twenty matches, he was sacked by the chairman on 26 January 2019 following contractual disagreements.

Flamengo

On 1 June 2019, Jesus was appointed manager of Brazilian club

for a year. Upon signing, he was met with a negative reaction by fans, former Flamengo players and commentators, who believed that he was too old and could not adapt to Brazilian football; when the team beat opponents, their managers would credit the results to Flamengo's players and finances rather than to Jesus. He reacted to this atmosphere by saying "I did not come to take anybody's place or to teach anyone. I am neither better nor worse, I work according to a methodology. I would like to remind my Brazilian colleagues that we had a Brazilian anagerin the national team, Scolari. He was admired by the Portuguese managers. He and many others who worked in Portugal...All of us in Portugal tried to learn from them, there was never this verbal aggression that there is against me. I don't understand these closed minds, even from some who are now at home, wearing gloves and shaking". In his first game on 10 July, the team drew 1–1 at

Athletico Paranaense Club Athletico Paranaense (abbreviated CAP, commonly known as Athletico Paranaense and up to 2019 known as Atlético Paranaense) is a Brazilian football team from the city of Curitiba, capital city of the Brazilian state of Paraná, founded o ...

in the first leg of the quarter-finals of the

Copa do Brasil The Copa do Brasil () is a knockout football competition played by 92 teams, representing all 26 Brazilian states plus the Federal District. It is the Brazilian domestic cup and it is the Brazilian equivalent of the FA Cup, Taça de Portugal, ...

. Four days later in his first game, he beat

Goiás Goiás () is a Brazilian States of Brazil, state located in the Central-West Region, Brazil, Central-West region. Goiás borders the Federal District (Brazil), Federal District and the states of (from north clockwise) Tocantins, Bahia, Minas Ge ...

6–1 at the

Maracanã Stadium Maracanã Stadium (, ; named after the Maracanã River), officially known as Jornalista Mário Filho Stadium (, ; , named after Mário Filho), is an association football stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Located in the Maracanã neighbor ...

. Jesus' Flamengo won the

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

, defeating Argentina's River Plate 2–1 with a late comeback in the final in

Lima Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...

, Peru, on 23 November. He was the first foreign manager to win any international trophy with a Brazilian team, the fifth to win the

with a foreign club, and the second European coach, as well as the second non-

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

n native, to accomplish the feat, after then-Yugoslav

Mirko Jozić Mirko Jozić (; born 8 April 1940) is a Croatian retired professional football manager and player. Managerial career As manager, he won the 1987 FIFA World Youth Championship in Chile with the Yugoslavia under-20 national team composed of famou ...

with Chile's

Colo-Colo Colo-Colo (), officially Club Social y Deportivo Colo-Colo, is a Chilean professional football club based in Macul, Santiago. Founded in 1925 by David Arellano, it competes in the Chilean Primera División, from which the club has never been ...

1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

; he was also the fourth Portuguese to become club continental champion, following Artur Jorge,

Manuel José Manuel José de Jesus Silva ComM (born 9 April 1946), simply known as Manuel José (), is a Portuguese football manager. Some of the teams he has coached include Vitória de Guimarães, Sporting CP, Sporting de Braga, Boavista, Benfica, Al ...

, and

José Mourinho José Mário dos Santos Mourinho Félix (; born 26 January 1963) is a Portuguese professional Association football, football Manager (association football), manager and former player, who is currently the head coach of Süper Lig club Fenerba ...

. Within 24 hours of winning the continental title, Flamengo also won the national championship, when then second-placed

Palmeiras The Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras (), commonly known as Palmeiras, is a Brazilian professional association football, football club based in the city of São Paulo, in the district of Perdizes (district of São Paulo), Perdizes. Palmeiras is ...

lost 2–1 to Grêmio. He was the second foreign manager, and the first non-South American, to win the Brazilian championship after Argentine

Carlos Volante Carlos Martín Volante (November 11, 1905 – October 9, 1987) was an Argentine football defensive midfielder, who played in Argentine, Brazilian, French and Italian clubs. Career Volante begun his youth career at small clubs in Lanús. In 1 ...

in the debut edition in

1959 Events January * January 1 – Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance. * January 2 – Soviet lunar probe Luna 1 is the first human-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reaches the ...

, the first foreign manager to win it since the round-robin format was introduced, the first manager from his country to win a league title in South America, and the third Portuguese to win a national championship in the Americas, after Guilherme Farinha and

Pedro Caixinha Pedro Miguel Faria Caixinha (; born 15 November 1970) is a Portuguese professional football manager and former player who played as a goalkeeper. He started coaching in his late twenties, acting an assistant with Sporting CP, Al-Hilal, Panath ...

. On 30 December 2019,

President of Portugal The president of Portugal, officially the president of the Portuguese Republic (, ), is the head of state and highest office of Portugal. The powers, functions and duties of prior presidential offices, and their relation with the prime minister ...

Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa Marcelo Nuno Duarte Rebelo de Sousa (; born 12 December 1948) is a Portuguese politician and academic who is the president of Portugal since 2016. He is a member of the Social Democratic Party, though he suspended his party membership for the ...

awarded to Jesus the

Order of Prince Henry The Order of Prince Henry () is a Portuguese order of knighthood created on 2 June 1960, to commemorate the quincentenary of the death of the Portuguese ''infante'' Prince Henry the Navigator, one of the main initiators of the Age of Discovery. M ...

commander medal (ComIH). He said that Jesus' achievements aided Portugal's reputation abroad. On 17 July 2020, Jesus left

. He won five trophies with the Brazilian club, winning 43 of the 57 games in charge of the Rubro-Negro.

Return to Benfica

Jesus returned to Benfica on 3 August 2020, signing a two-year contract with the club. Despite a €105 million investment, the biggest ever in Portuguese football, the season started with Benfica's elimination in the Champions League third qualifying round and continued with a loss at the

Super Cup A super cup is a competition, in association football, basketball, handball, volleyball and rugby union which often forms the 'curtain raiser' to a season, and typically involves only two teams who have qualified through success in other competi ...

, an elimination from the League Cup, and a fourth place at the end of the

's first round. With his fourth loss at the Portuguese Cup final, Jesus equalled the record of

José Maria Pedroto José Maria Carvalho Pedroto, OIH (21 October 1928 – 7 January 1985) was a Portuguese football midfielder and manager. He amassed Primeira Liga totals of 227 matches and 57 goals over 11 seasons, at the service of Lusitano, Belenenses and Por ...

and Fernando Vaz. After a rocky start to the 2021–22 campaign, which saw the 'águias' being beaten 1–0 by

Portimonense Portimonense Sporting Clube is a Portuguese sports club based in Portimão. Founded on 14 August 1914, it is most notable for its professional football team, which currently plays in the Liga Portugal 2, the second division of Portuguese football ...

and 3–1 by

Sporting CP Sporting Clube de Portugal (), otherwise referred to as Sporting CP or simply Sporting (particularly within Portugal), or as Sporting Lisbon in other countries,

in the league – both at home - and suffer a 3–0 defeat at

's home ground in the

round of 16, Jorge Jesus left Benfica by mutual consent on 28 December 2021, just two days shy of another trip to the Dragão. He was replaced by then

Benfica B Sport Lisboa e Benfica "B" (), commonly known as Benfica B, is a Portuguese professional football team based in Seixal. Founded in 1999, dissolved in 2006, and restarted in 2012, it is the reserve team of Portuguese club S.L. Benfica. They play ...

coach, Nélson Veríssimo.

Fenerbahçe

Jesus arrived at Istanbul on 31 May 2022, and toured the stadium on 1 June 2022. On 2 June, Jesus was appointed as the manager of Fenerbahçe on a one-year deal. Jesus won the

2022–23 Turkish Cup The 2022–23 Turkish Cup () was the 61st season of the tournament. Ziraat Bank was the sponsor of the tournament, thus the sponsored name was Ziraat Turkish Cup. The winners earned a berth in the second qualifying round of the 2023–24 UEFA Euro ...

, defeating

İstanbul Başakşehir Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

with a score of 2–0 in the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...

on 11 June 2023, with Fenerbahçe winning their first trophy in 9 years back after the

2014 Turkish Super Cup 2014 Turkish Super Cup ( Turkish: TFF Süper Kupa) was the 41st edition of the Turkish Super Cup since its establishment as ''Presidential Cup'' in 1966. The match was contested between the 2013–14 Süper Lig champions Fenerbahçe and the 2013� ...

. After the match, Jesus announced that he would leave the club.

Return to Al Hilal

On 1 July 2023, Al Hilal announced the reappointment of Jesus as their manager for the 2023–24 season. He was originally reported to be a candidate for the vacant coaching position of

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

prior to the appointment. On 26 February 2024, Al Hilal won a record 14th consecutive

match with a 2–0 victory against

Al-Ettifaq Al-Ettifaq Club (), commonly known as Al-Ettifaq or simply Ettifaq, is a professional football club in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, which competes in the Saudi Pro League. The club was established by the merger of three Dammam-based clubs in 1945. Al- ...

, surpassing

rival A rivalry is the state of two people or Social group, groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each ...

Al-Nassr Al-Nassr Football Club () is a professional football club based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The club competes in the Saudi Pro League, the top tier of the Saudi football league system. Al-Nassr is one of only three clubs to have participated ...

's previous league record of 13 consecutive wins achieved from November 2013 to February 2014. On 5 April, following a 4–1 victory over Al-Khaleej, Al Hilal set a new world record for consecutive matches won by a men's top-flight professional football club across all competitions with 32, breaking the record of 31 previously set by Irish club

Belfast Celtic Belfast Celtic Football Club was an Irish football club. Founded in 1891 in Belfast, it was one of the most successful teams in Ireland until it withdrew permanently from the Irish League in 1949. The club left the league for political reaso ...

in 1948. Al Hilal's streak would end at 34 consecutive wins, after losing 4–2 away to

Al Ain Al Ain () is a city in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and the seat of the administrative division of the Al Ain Region. The city is Oman–United Arab Emirates border, bordered to the east by the Omani town of Al-Buraimi. Al A ...

in the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals on 17 April. On 24 May, the

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, list ...

officials traveled to Al Hilal stadium to deliver the certificate that consecrates this record, with Jesus receiving it alongside Fahad Bin Saad Bin Nafel, the club's president. In his first full season with the club, Jesus led Al Hilal to three trophies, the

2023 Saudi Super Cup The 2023 Saudi Super Cup (also known as The Diriyah Saudi Super Cup for sponsorship reasons) was the 10th edition of the Saudi Super Cup, an annual football competition for clubs in the Football league system in Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia football ...

, beating Al-Ittihad 4–1 in the final, the 2023–24 King Cup, beating Al-Nassr in the

following a penalty shoot-out, and the

2023–24 Saudi Pro League The 2023–24 Saudi Pro League (known as the Roshn Saudi League for sponsorship reasons) was the 49th edition of the top-tier Saudi football league, established in 1974, and the 16th edition since it was rebranded as the Saudi Pro League in 2008, ...

, surpassing the 100-goal mark for the season and finishing with a record 96 points, 14 points ahead of their closest rivals Al Nassr. On 17 August 2024, Jesus won the

2024 Saudi Super Cup The 2024 Saudi Super Cup (also known as The Diriyah Saudi Super Cup for sponsorship reasons) was the 11th edition of the Saudi Super Cup, an annual football competition for clubs in the Saudi Arabia football league system that were successful in ...

again, after defeating Al Nassr with a score of 4–1 in the

. On 22 October, Jesus' Al Hilal defeated the current Asian champions Al Ain 5–4 in a match marked by the return of

Neymar Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior (; born 5 February 1992), also known as Neymar Júnior or simply Neymar, is a Brazilian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a left winger, attacking midfielder or Forward (association foo ...

after being in the sidelines for more than a year due to injury. This was also Jesus' 81st victory with Al Hilal, thus becoming the most successful coach in the club's history, achieving this tally in fewer than 100 matches (96 in total). Jesus departed the club on 3 May, 2025.

Personal life

Jesus married his second wife, Ivone, and the couple had a son, Mauro. From his previous marriage, he had a daughter Tânia and a son Gonçalo. He had over €1 million invested in the

Banco Privado Português Banco Privado Português (, , abbr. BPP) was a Portuguese private bank based in Lisbon. Founded by João Rendeiro it is currently in liquidation. On 24 July 2009, Paulo Guichard and Salvador Fezas Vital, two former board committee members of ...

(BPP) when it went bankrupt in 2009. He recovered eighty percent of that amount in March 2014.

Managerial statistics

Honours

Managerial

Braga *

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

Benfica *

: 2009–10, 2013–14, 2014–15 *

Taça de Portugal The Taça de Portugal (; ) is an annual association football competition and the premier knockout tournament in Portuguese football. For sponsorship reasons, it has been known as Taça de Portugal Generali Tranquilidade since the 2024–25 seaso ...

: 2013–14 *

Taça da Liga The Taça da Liga (), known outside Portugal as Portuguese League Cup, is an annual club football competition organised by the Liga Portuguesa de Futebol Profissional (LPFP) for teams competing in the top two tiers of Portuguese football – the ...

: 2009–10,

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

, 2011–12, 2013–14, 2014–15 *

Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira The Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira (; English: Cândido de Oliveira Super Cup, or simply Portuguese Super Cup) is an annual Portuguese association football, football match played since 1979 between the winners of the top-tier league (Primeira L ...

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

Sporting CP *

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

: 2017–18 Al Hilal *

: 2023–24 *

King Cup The King Cup (sometimes spelled King's Cup) (), officially known as The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques' Cup (), is the Saudi Arabian football knockout cup competition. The King's Cup is the second-oldest knockout competition in Saudi Arabian ...

: 2023–24 *

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

Flamengo * :

Supercopa do Brasil The Supercopa do Brasil (), also known as Supercopa Rei (), is a Brazilian association football trophy organized by the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF). It is contested between the champions of the Campeonato Brasileiro and the winners of ...

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

Recopa Sudamericana The CONMEBOL Recopa Sudamericana (), also known as Recopa Sudamericana or CONMEBOL Recopa, and simply as Recopa (, ; "Winners' Cup"), is an annual international club Association football, football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1988. It ...

Campeonato Carioca The Campeonato Carioca (Carioca Championship), officially known as Campeonato Estadual do Rio de Janeiro (Rio de Janeiro State Championship), also commonly known as the Cariocão, is the top-flight professional state football league in the Br ...

Fenerbahçe *

Turkish Cup The Turkish Cup () is a football cup competition in Turkish football, run by the Turkish Football Federation since 1962. During a brief sponsorship period with Fortis, its sponsored name was ''Fortis Türkiye Kupası''. Now Ziraat Bankası is ...

2022–23 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...

Individual

Best Coach: 2009–10, 2013–14, 2014–15 *

Manager of the Month: September/October 2020,

March 2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued in 2021. Most major eve ...

, September 2021, *

Manager of the Month: September 2018, October 2023, November 2023, December 2023, February 2024, March 2024, May 2024, September 2024 *

Awards – Coach of the Year: 2014 * Globos de Ouro Best Portuguese Manager: 2015, 2016Globos de Ouro 2016: Os vencedores
/ref> * Bola de Prata Best Coach: 2019 *

Prêmio Craque do Brasileirão The Prêmio Craque do Brasileirão () is an award given by the Brazilian Football Confederation (known as CBF) and TV Globo for the best players, head coaches, and referees of the Série A. Player of the Year ("Craque do Brasileirão") Team o ...

Best Coach: 2019

Orders

PRT Order of Prince Henry - Commander BAR

Knight Commander Knight Commander (or Dame Commander) is the second most senior grade of seven British orders of chivalry, three of which are dormant (and one of them continues as a German house order). The rank entails admission into knighthood, allowing the rec ...

of the

(30 December 2019)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jesus, Jorge 1954 births Living people Footballers from Amadora Portuguese men's footballers Men's association football midfielders Sporting CP footballers S.C. Olhanense players C.F. Os Belenenses players G.D. Riopele players Juventude Sport Clube players U.D. Leiria players Vitória F.C. players S.C. Farense players G.D. Peniche players C.F. Estrela da Amadora players Sport Benfica e Castelo Branco players S.R. Almancilense players Primeira Liga players Liga Portugal 2 players Portuguese football managers C.F. União managers C.F. Estrela da Amadora managers Vitória F.C. managers Vitória S.C. managers Moreirense F.C. managers U.D. Leiria managers C.F. Os Belenenses managers S.C. Braga managers S.L. Benfica managers Sporting CP managers Al-Hilal Saudi FC managers Fenerbahçe S.K. (football) managers CR Flamengo managers Primeira Liga managers Saudi Pro League managers Campeonato Brasileiro Série A managers Portuguese expatriate football managers Süper Lig managers Portuguese expatriate sportspeople in Saudi Arabia Portuguese expatriate sportspeople in Brazil Portuguese expatriate sportspeople in Turkey Expatriate football managers in Saudi Arabia Expatriate football managers in Brazil Expatriate football managers in Turkey Commanders of the Order of Prince Henry Copa Libertadores–winning managers Amora F.C. managers 20th-century Portuguese sportsmen