In a scenario characterized by the growing role of foreign coaches in Brazilian football, Filipe Luis achieved an important continental achievement on Saturday. As coach of Flamengo, he won the Copa Libertadores by defeating Abel Ferreira’s Palmeiras, 1-0, in the grand final.
After the final in Lima, which was decided by defender Danilo’s 67th-minute header, the former Mingao full-back became part of a select group of Copa Libertadores champions – a competition he has already won as a player in the red and black in 2019 and 2022.
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At the age of 40, Filipe Luis became the second Brazilian to lift the South American Cup as an athlete and coach, joining Renato Portaluppi, Gremio champion in 1983, and later, taking charge of the team in 2017.
To crown a season that could be historic, his team leads the Brazilian League by five points from Palmeiras, with only two rounds remaining in the tournament.
“We achieved our great goal,” he celebrated after the final whistle in Lima. “It’s a very special moment for me. It means a lot because it requires many hours of work, many, many hours. At the end of the day, the coach is judged by the results.”
Although his coaching career is still in its infancy, Filipe Luis has already begun to consolidate his status on the international stage by winning the continental title. Since he took over as coach of Flamengo, in September of last year, succeeding the former coach of the Brazilian national team, Tite, he has always remained in the spotlight.
Before that, his only experience was in the U-17 and U-20 national teams for the most popular club in the country, after his retirement in 2023. Flamengo’s bet was risky, but success accompanied the student of the Argentine Diego Simeone and the Portuguese Jorge Jesus.
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His first title as coach, the Copa do Brasil, came just 41 days after his appointment. In 2024, he also won the Brazilian Super Cup, the Carioca Championship and now the Copa Libertadores.
The win in Lima comes as a relief to those who criticize the growing presence of foreign coaches in Brazil, a country that has won all five World Cups under local coaches. However, in recent years, names such as Jorge Jesus, Abel Ferreira (twice) and Artur Jorge, all Portuguese, have won four of the last six Brazilian league championships.
When Jorge Jesus won the 2019 Brazilian League title with Filipe Luis as the starting left-back, he became the first foreigner to lift the national cup since 1959.
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Despite this, the current red and black coach defends opening the market. -We cannot deceive ourselves. The best football in Europe, with the best players, the best competitions and the best coaches, he said when Italian Carlo Ancelotti was chosen to lead the team towards the 2026 World Cup. “We have a lot to learn,” he added.
Although he is a direct competitor, Filipe Luis does not hesitate to acknowledge Abel Ferreira, a two-time Libertadores champion with Palmeiras, as the “best coach” active in Brazilian football.
During an event in Rio de Janeiro, which was attended by Carlo Ancelotti, the team’s first foreign coach since 1965, Leao criticized what he called the “invasion of foreigners” in Brazilian football.
He added: “I do not like foreign coaches (…), but I must be smart enough to admit that this is our fault,” referring to the shortcomings in training local coaches.
The remarks were labeled as xenophobic by the president of the Brazilian Football Confederation, Samir Sood, who responded: “We judge professionals by their skills.”
When it comes to efficiency, Filipe Luis has made his qualities very clear. The coach graduated from a European school and built his career as a player at clubs such as Deportivo La Coruna, Atletico Madrid and Chelsea. His biggest influence is Diego Simeone, whom he considers a “father” during his time at Atletico.
– If you are here today it is because he inspired me. He changed my life – said the former full-back throughout the season that led him to the most important club championship title on the continent.
With this win on Saturday, Filipe Luis also joins the select group made up of Uruguayans Luis Cubilla and Juan Martin Mujica and Argentines Roberto Ferrero, Humberto Mascio, José Omar Pastoriza, Nery Pompidou and Marcelo Gallardo – all Libertadores champions as players and coaches.