Rui Vitoria is officially their new coach Panathinaikou. The Greens announced the hiring of the Portuguese coach on Thursday afternoon, with the deal taking effect until 2026.
THE Rui Vitoria he will get to work immediately, starting with Sunday’s match against Volos.
“Thank you very much for being here. It’s a pleasure to be here, in a new team, in a new challenge for me. Tomorrow we may make an official presentation. I come with high hopes, great confidence and I have already seen the Panathinaikos team. I think now words are unnecessary, it’s time for work. And for me it’s a happy moment, it’s a privilege to work for a big club like Panathinaikos. We are ready to fight”he stated earlier upon his arrival in Greece.
The announcement of PAE Panathinaikos
PAE Panathinaikos announces the start of its collaboration with Portuguese coach Rui Vitoria, who signed a contract until June 2026 and takes up his duties immediately.
Rui Carlos Pino Da Vitoria, as his full name is, was born on April 16, 1970 in Alverca, Portugal. His coaching journey started at a fairly young age, since at the age of 32 he took over Villafrances, a third division team. He stayed for a year and a half and then, in the summer of 2004, joined the coaching staff of Benfica’s academy, taking charge of the U19s. He remained in this position for two years, until he returned to the professional categories, on behalf of Fatima, a third category team. With this team he won promotion to the second division twice.
After four years there, it was time for the next step. So in 2010 he was hired by Pasos Ferreira, leading a team in the top division of Portuguese football for the first time. The team’s course was very good, since in the Championship it finished seventh, while in the Cup it reached the final where it was defeated by Benfica. Continuing to gradually climb the ladder, Rui Vitoria was signed by Vitoria Guimaraes in 2011. He stayed for four years, during which Guimaraes won a Cup, participated in a Europa League group stage and reached 5th place in the table.
2015 was the time for the big step. He returned to Benfica, but this time as the first coach of the top Portuguese team. His first season was almost a dream. He did a double with a series of club history records (consecutive wins, away wins) and a Cup final triumph (6-2 Maritimo), while reaching the quarter-finals of the Champions League (eliminated by Bayern Munich). In the second season he achieved a treble, again winning the Championship and the Cup, only this time he also won the Super Cup, which made him the second coach in the history of the club to achieve such a feat! His third year did not have as many titles. Benfica won the Super Cup again, but not the other domestic titles. The 2018-19 season started positively for Benfica and Vitoria, but the continuation was not the same. In January 2019, the cooperation between the two sides was interrupted, with the Portuguese technician remaining in the history of the club as one of the most successful coaches.
One week later Vitoria started a partnership with Al Nasr. A few months later, the Saudi Arabian team celebrated winning the championship! The following season he reached the quarter-finals of the Asian Champions League. At the end of December 2020, the collaboration with Al Nasr was terminated by mutual consent.
In May 2021 Vitoria went to Russia on behalf of Spartak Moscow. There he made an impressive run in the Europa League group, finishing above Napoli and Leicester, but in the league the path was not as expected. So in December 2021 he dissolved his partnership.
His last stop before Panathinaikos was the Egyptian national team, which he took over in the summer of 2022. The partnership ended in February 2024, after being eliminated in the round of 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations.
We welcome Rui Vitoria to Panathinaikos!
Read also
Rui Vitoria: “Ready to fight” – The Portuguese coach is in Athens for Panathinaikos
Rui Vitoria: Benfica, Spartak, Egypt and now Panathinaikos – The profile of the 54-year-old coach (Videos)
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