Nuno Herlander Simões Espírito Santo (born 25 January 1974), known as Nuno Espírito Santo or simply Nuno, is a Portuguese-São Toméan

football manager ''Football Manager'', also known as ''Worldwide Soccer Manager'' in North America from 2004 to 2008, is a series of football management simulation video games developed by British developer Sports Interactive and published by Sega. The game beg ...

and former

player Player may refer to: Role or adjective * Player (game), a participant in a game or sport ** Gamer, a player in video and tabletop games ** Athlete, a player in sports ** Player character, a character in a video game or role playing game who i ...

who played as a

goalkeeper In many team sports that involve scoring goal (sport), goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie, or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or i ...

. He is currently the head coach of

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

club

Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is a professional association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Founde ...

. During his career, Espírito Santo first made a name for himself in Spain, playing for three teams in five years. He later returned to Portugal to represent

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 ...

, and also played professionally in Russia. He was part of the Portuguese squad at

UEFA Euro 2008 The 2008 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2008 or simply Euro 2008, was the 13th UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial association football, football tournament contested by the member nations of UEFA ( ...

, but never won a

cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. The origin of the word "cap" comes from the Old French word "chapeau" which means "head co ...

for the national team. Espírito Santo started his coaching career at Greek club

Panathinaikos Panathinaikos Athlitikos Omilos (, literally in English: "Panathenaic Athletic Club" or Panathinaikos A.C.), also known simply as Panathinaikós , is a major Greek multi-sport club based in the City of Athens. Panathinaikos is one of the mos ...

as an assistant. He became a coach in 2012, leading Portuguese club

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 ...

to both domestic cup finals in 2014. After brief spells at

Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

in Spain's

La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...

, and a return to Porto, he managed

Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club ( ), commonly referred to as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league s ...

for four years. In 2021, he took over as manager of

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Tottenham (, , , ) or Spurs, is a professional Association football, football club based in Tottenham, North London, England. The club itself has stated that it should always ...

, but was relieved of his duties after four months in charge. He became manager of Al-Ittihad Club in July 2022 where he won a league title and

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 ...

before being dismissed in November 2023. The following month, he returned to the Premier League as head coach of Nottingham Forest.

Club career

Early career / Deportivo

Espírito Santo was born in

São Tomé São Tomé is the capital and largest city of the Central African island country of São Tomé and Príncipe. Its name is Portuguese for " Saint Thomas". Founded in the 15th century, it is one of Africa's oldest colonial cities. History Álv ...

, Portuguese São Tomé and Príncipe, and started his football career with

Vitória 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 ...

. After a meeting with the then

nightclub owner

Jorge Mendes Jorge Paulo Agostinho Mendes (born 7 January 1966) is a Portuguese football agent. He is registered with the Portuguese Football Federation and heads the GestiFute company, founded in 1996. Mendes is among the most influential football agents ...

, Espírito Santo became the agent's first client in 1996. Mendes brokered a $1 million transfer the following January to

Deportivo La Coruña ''Deportivo'' (Spanish, 'sporting') may refer to: * Deportivo de La Coruña, commonly known as simply Deportivo, a Spanish football club * Déportivo, a French rock band * Deportivo (Mexicable) Mexicable is an aerial lift line in Ecatepec de ...

, although Espírito Santo spent three of his six seasons at the club out on

loan In finance, a loan is the tender of money by one party to another with an agreement to pay it back. The recipient, or borrower, incurs a debt and is usually required to pay interest for the use of the money. The document evidencing the deb ...

, backing up

Jacques Songo'o Jacques Celestin Songo'o (born 17 March 1964) is a Cameroonian former professional football goalkeeper who is the current goalkeeping coach of the Cameroon national team. He spent the vast majority of his professional career in France and Spa ...

(1996–1998) and

José Francisco Molina José Francisco Molina Jiménez (born 8 August 1970) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper, currently manager of Indian Super League club Mohun Bagan Super Giant. Eleven years of his extensive professional care ...

( 2001–02) when he was part of the team. He was the preferred goalkeeper for the winning campaign in the

Copa del Rey The , commonly known as , or (in English) the Spanish Cup or King's Cup, and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–1936) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–1976), is an annual knockout football competition in Spanis ...

in the latter season, although

Javier Irureta Javier Iruretagoyena Amiano (born 1 April 1948), Irureta for short, is a Spanish retired football attacking midfielder and manager. He had a distinguished playing career with Atlético Madrid and Athletic Bilbao, playing in 344 La Liga games ...

played Molina 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 ...

victory over

Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...

. In 1999–2000, as he represented Mérida in the

Segunda División The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Segunda División, commonly known as Segunda División or La Liga 2, and officially known as LaLiga HyperMotion for sponsorship reasons, is the men's second professional association football division of the Spa ...

, Espírito Santo won the

Ricardo Zamora Trophy The Zamora Trophy () is a football award, established by Spanish newspaper '' Marca'' in 1958. The award goes to the goalkeeper who has the lowest "goals-to-games" ratio.Similar to goals against average in ice hockey or earned run average in b ...

and helped the team finish sixth, but the club would be relegated to

Segunda División B Segunda División B (English: second division B) was the third tier of the Spanish football league system containing 102 teams divided into five groups, until it was replaced by the new structure in 2021. It was administered by the Royal Spanish ...

due to irregularities. He was loaned to

Osasuna Club Atlético Osasuna (, ''Osasuna Athletic Club''), or simply Osasuna, is a Spanish professional association football, football club based in Pamplona, Navarre. It was founded on 24 October 1920 and plays in La Liga, the top division of Spanish ...

the following season, going on to rank seventh in the Zamora as his team finished only one point above the relegation zone in the top tier.

Porto

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 ...

paid €3 million to sign Espírito Santo in July 2002, as part of the deal that saw

Jorge Andrade Jorge Manuel Almeida Gomes de Andrade (; born 9 April 1978) is a Portuguese former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. After playing two years with Porto, he went on to represent Deportivo de La Coruña (169 official appear ...

join Deportivo. During a 2003

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 ...

match against Varzim, he was allowed by Mourinho to convert a

penalty kick A penalty shot or penalty kick is a play used in several sports whereby a goal is attempted during untimed play. Depending on the sport, when a player commits certain types of penalties, the opposition is awarded a penalty shot or kick attempt. ...

, scoring the club's last goal in a 7–0 home win. In May 2004, Espírito Santo was an unused substitute for the final as Porto won the

2003–04 UEFA Champions League The 2003–04 UEFA Champions League was the 12th season of UEFA's premier European club football tournament, the UEFA Champions League, since its rebranding from the European Cup in 1992, and the 49th tournament overall. This was the first UEFA C ...

. On 12 December, he replaced club great

Vítor Baía Vítor Manuel Martins Baía, OIH (; born 15 October 1969) is a Portuguese former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. One of the most decorated goalkeepers of all time, his career was intimately connected with FC Porto, which h ...

during

extra time Overtime (OT) or extra time (ET) is an additional period of play to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played only if the game is required t ...

of the

2004 Intercontinental Cup The 2004 Intercontinental Cup was an association football match that took place on 12 December 2004 between Porto of Portugal, winners of the 2003–04 UEFA Champions League, and Once Caldas of Colombia, winners of the 2004 Copa Libertadores. The ...

final

penalty shoot-out The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...

victory against

Once Caldas Once Caldas S.A., simply known as Once Caldas, is a professional Colombian Association football, football team based in Manizales, that currently plays in the Categoría Primera A. The club plays its home games at Estadio Palogrande. The club wa ...

. However, in January, he was sold to

Russian Premier League The Russian Premier League (RPL; , ''Rossiyskaya premyer-liga''; РПЛ), also written as Russian Premier Liga, is a professional association football league in Russia and the highest level of the Russian football league system. It was establis ...

club

Dynamo Moscow MGO VFSO "Dynamo" (), commonly known as Dynamo Moscow (), is a Russian sports club based in Moscow. Founded by Felix Dzerzhinsky on 18 April 1923, Dynamo Moscow was the first institution created from the All-Union Dynamo Sports Club. Dynamo Mosco ...

. In January 2007, Espírito Santo returned to Portugal for a stint with

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 ...

, eventually relegated from the

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 ...

. He returned to Porto in July, backing up Brazilian Helton during most of his spell. Despite his limited involvement on the pitch – earning him the nickname ''O Substituto'' – he was considered a leader at the club. Espírito Santo again played second-fiddle to Helton during the 2008–09 season, appearing in only four games, but was the starter throughout the domestic cup campaign, including the 1–0 final 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 ...

International career

Espírito Santo represented

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

at the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

, playing four matches for the fourth-placed team. He also played for the nation's B team. Uncapped, he was called to the senior squad competing in

, replacing the injured Quim, but did not play a match.

Coaching career

Beginnings

On 21 June 2010, Porto announced that Espírito Santo's contract would not be renewed. The 36-year-old said he would always support Porto as he left. After his retirement, he rejoined former Porto manager

Jesualdo Ferreira Manuel Jesualdo Ferreira (born 24 May 1946) is a Portuguese Manager (association football), football manager who last managed Zamalek SC, Zamalek in the Egyptian Premier League. In a managerial career of over forty years, he was in charge of all ...

, moving to

Málaga Málaga (; ) is a Municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 591,637 in 2024, it is the second-most populo ...

as a goalkeeping coach, before the pair signed for

in November.

Rio Ave

In May 2012,

dismissed manager Carlos Brito and announced the appointment of Espírito Santo. In his first match in charge on 18 August, the team lost 1–0 at home to Marítimo in the first game of the

2012–13 Primeira Liga The 2012–13 Primeira Liga (also known as Liga ZON Sagres for sponsorship reasons) was the 79th season of the Primeira Liga, the top professional league for Portuguese association football clubs. It began on 19 August 2012 and concluded on 19 M ...

season. He recorded his first win nine days later, by the same margin away to

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 his second season in charge, Espírito Santo's team reached both the

and

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 ...

finals, therefore leading them to the

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 ...

for the first time in their history.

Valencia

Espírito Santo signed a one-year contract with

on 4 July 2014, replacing

Juan Antonio Pizzi Juan Antonio Pizzi Torroja (, ; born 7 June 1968) is a retired professional footballer who played as a striker. He is currently the head coach of the Kuwait national team. Pizzi spent the bulk of his club career in Spain, mainly at Tenerife, ...

. On 12 January 2015, he agreed to an extension to keep him at the club until 2018, and he eventually led them to a fourth place finish in his first season, Highlights included a 2–1 home win over

and a 2–2 away draw against the same opponent, while he was named La Liga Manager of the Month three times/ He resigned on 29 November 2015, following a 1–0 away defeat 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 ...

, after a poor start to both Valencia's La Liga and Champions League campaigns. During his time at Valencia, Espírito Santo, his agent Jorge Mendes and club owner

Peter Lim Peter Lim Eng Hock (born 21 May 1953) is a Singaporean business magnate who was a stockbroker and an investor in palm oil, and is now a private investor focused on healthcare, property, sports, and education. In 2024, he was ranked 26th on F ...

were criticised for signing the agent's clients.

Roberto Ayala Roberto Fabián Ayala (; born 14 April 1973), nicknamed ''El Ratón'' ("The Mouse"), is an Argentine former footballer who played as a centre back for the Argentina national football team, as well as Valencia and Real Zaragoza in Spain, Milan a ...

, who won several trophies as a Valencia player and later became a

scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement ** Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom ** Scouts BSA, sect ...

, left the club, alleging that they were signing such players for inflated fees.

Porto

On 1 June 2016, Espírito Santo signed a two-year contract with Porto, replacing former head coach

José Peseiro José Vítor dos Santos Peseiro (born 4 April 1960) is a Portuguese football manager and former player who played as a forward. After an unassuming career as a player, he went on to coach several clubs in his country, including Sporting CP � ...

. His first game on 12 August was a return to the Estádio dos Arcos, where his team came from behind to beat Rio Ave 3–1. However, after a season devoid of silverware which included a second-place finish in the league, he was relieved of his duties on 22 May 2017.

Wolverhampton Wanderers

On 31 May 2017, Espírito Santo was named as the new head coach of

EFL Championship The English Football League Championship, known simply as the Championship and for sponsorship purposes as Sky Bet Championship, is a professional association football league in England and Wales. Contested by 24 clubs, it is the highest divi ...

club

, signing a three-year contract. He was voted the competition's Manager of the Month in November as his team won all four of their games, scoring 13 goals. Espírito Santo led the club to the

after a six-year absence, achieving promotion with four matches remaining in the season and being confirmed as champions with two games to spare. On 10 July 2018, it was announced that his contract had been extended until 2021. Espírito Santo was awarded the

Premier League Manager of the Month The Premier League Manager of the Month is an association football award that recognises the best adjudged Premier League manager each month of the season. The winner is chosen by a combination of an online public vote, which contributes to ...

title in his second month managing in the English top division after his team went unbeaten in September 2018, accruing ten points from four matches and only conceding one goal. It was the first time that a Wolves manager had secured the award, in the club's fifth season in the competition. Wolves finished seventh in the 2018–19 league season; it was the club's highest Premier League ranking, and their highest in the English top-flight since the 1979–80 season when they finished sixth. Wolves also qualified for a European competition for the first time since the

1980–81 UEFA Cup The 1980–81 UEFA Cup was the 10th edition of the UEFA Cup, the third-tier club football competition organised by UEFA. The final was played over two legs at Portman Road, Ipswich, England, and at the Olympic Stadium, Amsterdam, Netherlands. It ...

, reaching the UEFA Europa League. Espírito Santo was awarded the Premier League Manager of the Month title for a second time on 10 July 2020 for a run of five fixtures unbeaten between the beginning of March and the end of June, sandwiching the temporary suspension of the

2019–20 Premier League The 2019–20 Premier League was the 28th season of the Premier League, the top English professional association football, football league, since its establishment in 1992, and the 121st season of top-flight English football overall. The season ...

due to the

COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom The COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom is a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In the United Kingdom, it has resulted in confirm ...

. The run included four wins and four clean sheets. The season saw Espírito Santo's team achieve a second consecutive seventh-place finish in the Premier League (with a record points total for Wolves in the Premier League of 59), and reach the quarter-finals of the

, the club's best such performance since being finalists in the

1971–72 UEFA Cup The 1971–72 UEFA Cup was the inaugural season of the UEFA Cup, now known as the UEFA Europa League, which became the third club football competition organised by UEFA. The tournament retained the structure and format of the Inter-Cities Fairs C ...

. On 13 September 2020, at the outset of the 2020–21 season, Espírito Santo's contract at the club was extended until summer 2023. He was named the Premier League Manager of the Month for October with a run of four fixtures unbeaten, including three wins without conceding; this was the third time he had received the award. On 27 February 2021, he took charge of his 102nd Premier League game as Wolves head coach as his team played out a 1–1 draw with

Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Since th ...

St James' Park St James' Park is a Association football, football stadium in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is the home of Newcastle United F.C., Newcastle United. With a seating capacity of 52,305, it is the List of football stadiums in England, 8th la ...

, surpassing

Mick McCarthy Michael Joseph McCarthy (born 7 February 1959) is a professional Manager (association football), football manager, pundit and former Association football, footballer. He was most recently the head coach of Blackpool F.C., Blackpool. McCarthy b ...

as the longest-serving Wolves head coach in the Premier League era. On 21 May, Wolves announced that Espírito Santo would leave the club by mutual consent at the end of the season.

Tottenham Hotspur

On 30 June 2021,

announced Espírito Santo as their new head coach on a two-year contract with an option to extend for a third year. On his debut on 15 August, the team won 1–0 at home against reigning champions

Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...

through a

Son Heung-min Son Heung-min (; born 8 July 1992) is a South Korean professional footballer who plays as a forward for and captains both club Tottenham Hotspur and the South Korea national team. Known for his speed, finishing, two-footedness, and ability ...

goal. On 29 August, he achieved the best start to a Premier League season for Tottenham after beating

Watford Watford () is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of Central London, on the banks of the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne. Initially a smal ...

to secure three wins from their first three matches. He won the

award for August, the fourth of his career. On 1 November, after his team lost 3–0 at home to

Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...

, their fifth loss in seven matches and which left them ninth in the table, Espírito Santo was dismissed after less than four months in charge. He was replaced the following day by

Antonio Conte Antonio Conte (; born 31 July 1969) is an Italian professional Association football, football manager and former player who is currently the head coach of Serie A club Napoli. He is widely regarded as one of the best football managers in the wo ...

Al-Ittihad

On 4 July 2022, Espírito Santo was appointed by

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 the

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 ...

. He held talks for a return to Wolves in October. He won the

2022 Saudi Super Cup The 2022 Saudi Super Cup (also known as The Berain Saudi Super Cup for sponsorship reasons) was the 9th edition of the Saudi Super Cup, an annual football competition for clubs in the Saudi Arabia football league system that were successful in it ...

on 29 January 2023 with a 2–0

win over Al Fayha. On 27 May, he won the club's first league title in 14 years, also after beating Al-Fayha 3–0 with one match remaining in the league. Espírito Santo was dismissed on 8 November 2023, two days after a 2–0 loss to Iraqi club

Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya () is an Iraqi sports club based in Al-Rusafa, Iraq, Rusafa District, Baghdad that competes in the Iraq Stars League, the top-flight of Football in Iraq, Iraqi football. Founded in 1931, it is the oldest existing club in Iraq. ...

in the

2023–24 AFC Champions League The 2023–24 AFC Champions League was the 42nd edition of Asia's premier club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the 21st and final under the AFC Champions League title, as the competition would be rebra ...

Nottingham Forest

2023–24: Relegation battle

On 20 December 2023, Espírito Santo was appointed head coach of Premier League club

, following the dismissal of Steve Cooper. The side's first win under his tenure came on 26 December as they beat

3–1. This was followed by a 2–1 home win against

, which was Forest's first Premier League victory over the club in 29 years. On the final day of the season, Espírito Santo led Forest to a 2–1 away win over

Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2021 population of 78,266. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River B ...

to secure the club's survival from relegation with a 17th-placed finish in the league.

2024–25: Pushing up the table

On 14 September 2024, Espírito Santo led Forest to a 1–0 away win over

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 ...

Anfield Anfield is a Association football, football stadium in the area of Anfield (suburb), Anfield, Liverpool, England, which has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since its formation in 1892. The stadium has a seating capacity of 61,276, making it the ...

, which was the first time the club had won at Liverpool in any competition since February 1969, ending a 25-game winless run at Anfield, and securing Espírito Santo's first ever Premier League victory against Liverpool.

Callum Hudson-Odoi Callum James Hudson-Odoi (born 7 November 2000) is an English professional footballer who plays as a winger for club Nottingham Forest. During his time with Chelsea's academy, Hudson-Odoi was part of the squads which won the U18 Premier Leag ...

scored the winning goal in the 72nd minute. Espírito Santo led Nottingham Forest to their first win at

Old Trafford Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and is the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,197, it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after W ...

since 1994 on 7 December 2024, securing a memorable 3–2 victory over

. After securing a sixth consecutive Premier League win with a 3–0 away victory over

at Molineux on 6 January 2025, Nottingham Forest sat third in the Premier League table on the same 40-point total as

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

in second place. This defied the expectations of many journalists and pundits, who had predicted at the start of the season that Forest would struggle and get relegated to the

. Subsequently, Nuno Espírito Santo won the Premier League Manager of the Month award for his oversight of Forest's performances in December 2024. In April 2025, Nuno Espírito Santo was announced as the Premier League Manager of the Month for March. This marks the third time he has won the award this season, having previously claimed it in October and December 2024. He became the first Nottingham Forest manager to win the award three times in a single season.

Personal life

Espírito Santo and his wife Sandra have three children as of 2020. On 4 May 2019, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Sport by the

University of Wolverhampton The University of Wolverhampton is a public university in Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton, England, located on four campuses across the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, Shropshire and Staffordshire. Originally founded in 1827 as the Wolverham ...

Managerial statistics

Honours

Player

Deportivo *

: 2001–02 Porto *

: 2002–03, 2003–04, 2007–08, 2008–09 *

: 2002–03, 2008–09 *

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 ...

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

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 ...

: 2003–04 *

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 ...

: 2002–03 * Intercontinental Cup:

runner-up: 2009–10 Individual *

: 1999–2000 (

)

Manager

Wolverhampton Wanderers *

: 2017–18 Al-Ittihad *

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 ...

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

Individual * La Liga Manager of the Month: September 2014, December 2014, February 2015 * EFL Championship Manager of the Month: November 2017 *

LMA Manager of the Year The League Managers Association Awards is an annual award ceremony in English football, awarded by the League Managers Association. The most prestigious award is the LMA Manager of the Year award. It is presented to a manager from any division fo ...

2017–18 EFL Championship The 2017–18 EFL Championship (referred to as the Sky Bet Championship for sponsorship reasons) was the second season of the EFL Championship under its current name, and the twenty-sixth season under its current league structure. This season nota ...

: September 2018, June 2020, October 2020, August 2021, October 2024, December 2024, March 2025 *Saudi Pro League Manager of the Month: March 2023, April 2023, August 2023

References

External links

* * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Espirito Santo, Nuno 1974 births Living people People from São Tomé Portuguese men's footballers Men's association football goalkeepers Vitória S.C. players FC Porto players Deportivo de La Coruña players CP Mérida footballers CA Osasuna players FC Dynamo Moscow players C.D. Aves players Primeira Liga players Segunda Divisão players La Liga players Segunda División players Russian Premier League players UEFA Champions League–winning players UEFA Europa League–winning players Portugal men's youth international footballers Portugal men's under-21 international footballers Portugal men's B international footballers Olympic footballers for Portugal Footballers at the 1996 Summer Olympics UEFA Euro 2008 players Portuguese expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Spain Expatriate men's footballers in Russia Portuguese expatriate sportspeople in Spain Portuguese expatriate sportspeople in Russia Portuguese football managers Rio Ave F.C. managers FC Porto managers Valencia CF managers Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. managers Tottenham Hotspur F.C. managers Al-Ittihad Club (Jeddah) managers Nottingham Forest F.C. managers Primeira Liga managers La Liga managers English Football League managers Premier League managers Saudi Pro League managers Portuguese expatriate football managers Portuguese expatriate sportspeople in England Portuguese expatriate sportspeople in Saudi Arabia Expatriate football managers in Spain Expatriate football managers in England Expatriate football managers in Saudi Arabia Black Portuguese sportspeople Portuguese people of São Tomé and Príncipe descent