Estoril and Porto Santos started working as a manager immediately after retiring. He helped Estoril return to the top tier in
1991 and, in the following ten years, only worked in that competition, being in charge of
Estrela da Amadora and
Porto. Having signed for the latter side in summer 1998, Santos won the national championship and the
Portuguese Supercup in his
first season. He finished second in
the following to
Sporting CP, and led the team to
the quarter-finals of the
UEFA Champions League.
Greece and Sporting CP In 2001, Santos was appointed at
AEK Athens in the
Super League Greece,
winning the
domestic cup and
losing the league to
Olympiacos on
goal difference. Staying in the country, he then joined
Panathinaikos, leaving by mutual consent after only four months. Santos returned to his country for the
2003–04 campaign, replacing
László Bölöni at the helm of Sporting. He was relieved of his duties on 2 June 2004, after his team was only able to rank third. From
2004 to
2006, Santos again managed AEK. He led them to consecutive top-three finishes during his tenure, being voted
Manager of the Year in 2005.
Benfica On 20 May 2006, Santos joined former youth club Benfica. He was responsible for the signing of former AEK player
Kostas Katsouranis the following month. After a third place in his
debut season, only two points behind champions Porto, Santos witnessed the departure of
captain and top scorer
Simão Sabrosa to
Atlético Madrid during pre-season. On 20 August 2007, after a 1–1 away draw against
Leixões, he was sacked and replaced with
José Antonio Camacho.
PAOK Santos returned to Greece and its top flight in early September 2007, signing a three-year contract with
PAOK. There, he joined forces with
director of football – and former international –
Theodoros Zagorakis, leading the team to the second position in
2009–10. On 19 May 2010, despite a chance of
competing again in the Champions League, Santos announced his decision of leaving the
Thessaloniki-based side in a press conference.
Greece national team On 1 July 2010, Santos was named the new coach of the
Greece national team, succeeding longtime incumbent
Otto Rehhagel on a two-year deal. Having been named the country's
Coach of the Year all sports included, he subsequently
qualified for the
UEFA Euro 2012 tournament, reaching the last-eight stage. Santos was also in charge during the
2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, as Greece reached the knockout stage for the first time ever. Shortly before the start of the
penalty shootout against
Costa Rica, eventually lost 5–3, he was
sent off by referee
Ben Williams for apparent dissent. He watched the decision unfold on a television from inside the stadium, and the defeat marked the end of his tenure as his contract expired the very next day; he was initially banned for eight matches for the incident, reduced to six upon appeal.
Portugal national team On 23 September 2014, Santos was chosen as the new manager of
Portugal, after
Paulo Bento was fired due to poor results. His first game in charge took place on 14 October in a 1–0 win in
Denmark for the
Euro 2016 qualifiers, and the side went on to reach the finals in France; during his suspension, it was
Ilídio Vale that sat on the bench. On 10 July 2016, after three group stage draws that enabled group stage qualification as third, Santos coached Portugal to its first-ever major international conquest, after a 1–0
extra time defeat of
the hosts. The only win in 90 minutes occurred in the semi-finals, against
Wales. On 10 October 2017, the day of his 63rd birthday, Santos coached Portugal to a 2–0 win over
Switzerland at the
Estádio da Luz, which enabled them to finish the
2018 World Cup qualifying campaign with nine wins in ten games. In the finals in Russia, the tournament ended at the round-of-16 stage after a 2–1 loss against
Uruguay. After conquering the
2018–19 UEFA Nations League, Santos led the national team to the round of 16 at
Euro 2020, where they lost 1–0 to
Belgium. In the
2022 World Cup, after being disrespected by star forward
Cristiano Ronaldo in the last group fixture against
South Korea as he was
replaced (2–1 loss), he decided to bench him for the knockout phase, beating Switzerland 6–1 in the last 16, their highest tally in a World Cup at that stage since
1966, with Ronaldo's replacement
Gonçalo Ramos scoring a
hat-trick, but being ousted by
Morocco in the next round; on 15 December, following constant criticism over his defensive tactics and style of play, he was dismissed.
Poland national team On 24 January 2023, Santos was unveiled as the new manager of
Poland, succeeding
Czesław Michniewicz who left the team shortly after the 2022 World Cup. Criticised for his style, his choice of players and his lack of appearances at
Polish league and
cup matches, defeats to
Moldova and
Albania in the
Euro 2024 qualifying phase led to fans starting to demand his dismissal, which took place on 13 September.
Beşiktaş Santos returned to club duties on 7 January 2024, signing for
Beşiktaş in the Turkish
Süper Lig. He was fired on 13 April, following a six-game winless streak.
Azerbaijan national team On 12 June 2024, Santos was officially appointed at the
Azerbaijan national side, having been assigned the task of helping to qualify for
Euro 2028. On 8 September 2025, having collected nine losses in 11 matches, he was relieved of his duties. ==Personal life==