Early career Shortly after retiring, Cuca started coaching
Uberlândia in 1998. In the following year, he led
Avaí to the final of the
Campeonato Catarinense, but lost to
Figueirense. Cuca began the 2000 season in charge of
Internacional de Limeira, before returning to Avaí in February. Replaced by
Roberto Cavalo shortly after, and led
Internacional de Lages to a fifth place in the 2001 Catarinense. On 23 August 2001, Cuca returned to a club he represented as a player, Remo. After leaving the club in October, he immediately took over
Criciúma, but only remained in charge of the side until May 2002. On 16 May 2002, Cuca was named in charge of
Gama. Despite only losing one match (to eventual
Campeonato Brasiliense champions
CFZ de Brasília), he left in July after discovering the club was looking for a new head coach for the
Série A. On 1 March 2003, Cuca was appointed
Paraná head coach. He led the club to a good start in the
2003 Série A, winning three of the club's first six matches in the competition.
Goiás On 26 May 2003, Cuca was appointed head coach of
Goiás also in the top tier. He gained notoriety with the club after taking them in the last position and avoiding relegation by finishing ninth.
São Paulo On 17 December 2003, Cuca was appointed head coach of
São Paulo in the place of
Roberto Rojas. He was dismissed the following 2 September, after being knocked out of the year's
Copa Libertadores in the semifinals by
Once Caldas and dropping to the seventh place in the league. Despite being unable to repeat the same success achieved at Goiás, Cuca is often credited for helping to assemble a part of the squad which later won the
2005 FIFA Club World Cup, being the one to suggest the signings of
Fabão,
Danilo and
Grafite, players who worked with him at Goiás and subsequently became regular starters at the
Tricolor.
Grêmio Eight days after leaving São Paulo, Cuca was named head coach of Grêmio, a club he notably represented as a player. He resigned from the club on 27 October, after three wins in 11 matches; his successor
Cláudio Duarte was unable to avoid the club's
first-ever relegation.
Flamengo On 3 February 2005, Cuca replaced
Júlio César Leal at the helm of
Flamengo, He was dismissed on 15 April, after a 2–0
Copa do Brasil loss to
Ceará and a 4–1 loss to
Fluminense in the
Taça Rio final.
Coritiba On 6 May 2005, Cuca returned to his hometown and was appointed Coritiba head coach. He was sacked on 12 October, after three consecutive losses.
São Caetano On 9 November 2005, Cuca appointed in charge of
São Caetano, also in the first division. Despite losing his first match, he did not lose any of the remaining four matches of the year and managed to
avoid relegation, but was still sacked on 13 December.
Botafogo On 22 May 2006, Cuca was presented as the new
Botafogo head coach. He resigned on 28 September 2007, but returned to the role on 7 October after the departure of
Mário Sérgio. Cuca resigned for a second time on 29 May 2008, after being eliminated from the
2008 Copa do Brasil on penalties.
Santos On 2 June 2008, Cuca was appointed head coach of another club he represented as a player, Santos. He made his debut in charge of the club in a 1–0 away loss to
Vitória six days later, and only won his first match in charge on 20 July, a 1–0 win over Sport Recife eight rounds later; in the previous round, after a loss to
Figueirense, he initially resigned, but was later convinced to remain in the role. Cuca had his resignation accepted by
Peixe on 7 August 2008, after a 3–2 home loss to
Atléico Mineiro which left the club seriously threatened with relegation.
Fluminense Four days after leaving Santos, Cuca was confirmed as head coach of Fluminense, replacing
Renato Gaúcho. He won his first two matches in charge, but later went on to enter a seven-winless run (which included a 2–1 to former side Santos) which led to his dismissal on 2 October 2008.
Flamengo return On 12 December 2008, Cuca returned to Flamengo after being named head coach for the ensuing campaign. He won the
2009 Campeonato Carioca – his first title as head coach – by defeating Botafogo on penalties, but was relieved from his duties the following 23 July.
Fluminense return Cuca returned to
Flu on 1 September 2009, again in the place of Renato Gaúcho. Under a mathematical threat of relegation of 99%, he led the side to a run of 11 matches unbeaten in the league, which included six consecutive wins, and avoided relegation in the last round; the club also reached the
2009 Copa Sudamericana finals, but lost to
LDU Quito. On 19 April 2010, after being knocked out in the semifinals of the
2010 Campeonato Carioca, Cuca was sacked from Fluminense.
Cruzeiro On 8 June 2010, Cuca was named head coach of
Cruzeiro. He led the club to a second place in
the league, two points shy of champions and former club Fluminense. Cuca also won the
2011 Campeonato Mineiro with the club, defeating rivals
Atlético Mineiro 3–2 on aggregate. On 19 June of that year, however, after a run of five winless matches, he left and was replaced by
Joel Santana.
Atlético Mineiro On 8 August 2011, Cuca was announced as new head coach of Cruzeiro's rivals Atlético Mineiro, replacing
Dorival Júnior. He won the
2012 Campeonato Mineiro and also lifted the
2013 Copa Libertadores, the club's first-ever continental title. On 18 December 2013, after a 3–1 defeat to
Raja Casablanca in the
2013 FIFA Club World Cup semifinals, Cuca was dismissed.
Shandong Luneng On 21 December 2013, just three days after being sacked by
Galo, Cuca was appointed at the helm of
Chinese Super League side
Shandong Luneng. He announced his departure from the club on 6 December 2015, after winning the
Chinese FA Cup and the
Chinese FA Super Cup.
Palmeiras in June 2017 On 14 March 2016, Cuca replaced
Marcelo Oliveira at the helm of high-spending Palmeiras. He led the club to a Série A title after 22 years, but opted to resign on 30 November, alleging "personal reasons". Cuca returned to
Verdão on 5 May 2017, replacing fired
Eduardo Baptista and signing a contract until the end of 2018. On 13 October, he was himself dismissed, with his assistant
Alberto Valentim taking his place.
Santos return On 30 July 2018, Cuca was appointed head coach of Santos for the second time. He took the club out of the relegation zone, but left after finishing in a disappointing tenth position due to a health problem.
São Paulo return On 14 February 2019, Cuca agreed to a two-year contract with São Paulo, effective as of 15 April due to his heart condition. He resigned on 26 September, and was replaced by then coordinator
Vagner Mancini.
Third spell at Santos Cuca returned to Santos for a third spell on 7 August 2020. He led the club to
the final of the
2020 Copa Libertadores, despite being under severe financial issues (also dealing with a
transfer ban), but lost the title to rivals Palmeiras, being
sent off late in the game. On 3 February 2021, Cuca announced his departure from Santos at the end of
the season when his contract expired, alleging 'mental exhaustion'. His departure was officially announced by the club on 21 February, after qualifying the club to the
2021 Libertadores.
Atlético Mineiro return 2021 On 5 March 2021, Cuca agreed to a two-year deal with Atlético Mineiro, returning to the club after seven years. He led the side to one of the most successful seasons in their history, winning the
domestic treble and ending a 50-year streak since their last Campeonato Brasileiro title. He also equaled
Levir Culpi's record as Atlético's most decorated head coach, with six titles. On 28 December 2021, Cuca departed
Galo for personal reasons.
2022 On 23 July 2022, Cuca returned to Atlético, signing a four-month contract. He left on a mutual agreement on 14 November, after only 21 matches.
Corinthians On 20 April 2023, Cuca was announced as the new head coach of
Corinthians, with a contract until the end of the year. Seven days later, however, he resigned from the role, citing personal reasons related to his sexual assault arrest in Switzerland in 1987. His hiring was almost immediately criticized by pundits, fans, and even the
Corinthians women's team, citing the 1987 incident as inadmissible behavior by any member of the club.
Athletico Paranaense On 4 March 2024, Cuca was announced as head coach of
Athletico Paranaense. He asked to leave the club on 23 June, and his resignation was accepted by the board the following day.
Fourth spell at Atlético Mineiro On 29 December 2024, Cuca returned to
Galo for his fourth spell as a coach. He won the
2025 Campeonato Mineiro, reaching five titles in the tournament, but was sacked on 29 August of that year.
Fourth spell at Santos On 19 March 2026, Santos announced the return of Cuca as a head coach on a contract until the end of the year; it was his fourth spell in charge of the club. ==Career statistics==