Assistant In 1990, Xavier started working in the youth categories of
Internacional as a fitness coach and youth coach, after being recommended by Bráulio. He also had his first experience as a head coach on 27 September 2001; with the club already assured in the first position of their group in the
2001 Copa Mercosur, Tite opted to stay in Porto Alegre to prepare for a match against
Santa Cruz, and Xavier led the side in a 1–1 away draw against
Universidad de Chile. In June 2003, Xavier became the interim head coach of Grêmio after Tite resigned, leading the side in a 3–1 home win over
Fortaleza. After the arrival of
Darío Pereyra as head coach, Xavier left the club and reunited with Tite as his assistant at
São Caetano. Xavier continued to work as Tite's assistant in the following years, representing
Corinthians (three spells),
Atlético Mineiro,
Palmeiras,
Al Ain and
Internacional. In August 2010, with Tite unemployed, he became
Márcio Araújo's assistant at
Bahia, but only lasted 17 days in the role before rejoining Tite's staff at
Al Wahda. In June 2016, Xavier became one of the assistant coaches of the
Brazil national team, after Tite was named head coach. He departed with Tite after the
2022 FIFA World Cup, and also worked alonsgide him at
Flamengo before announcing the desire to become a head coach in October 2024.
Santos On 29 April 2025, Xavier had his first experience as head coach, after being appointed at the helm of
Santos on a contract until the end of the year. He made his debut at the helm of the club two days later, in a 1–1 home draw against
CRB. On 17 August 2025, Xavier was sacked from
Peixe after a 6–0 home loss to
Vasco da Gama.
Venezuela On 20 January 2026, Xavier was presented as
Oswaldo Vizcarrondo's assistant at the
Venezuela national team. ==Managerial statistics==