Early career Born in
Trofa, Cardoso graduated in
Physical Education and Sports with specialization in football in 1995 and concluded a Masters in
Sports Science in 1998 in the College of Sports Science and Physical Education at the
University of Porto. He started his coaching career in 1993, taking over
S.C. Espinho's under-12 squad. Cardoso joined
FC Porto in 1996, initially as
Fernando Freitas' assistant in the under-10 team. He later progressed through the club's youth setup, becoming a fitness coach of the
B-team in 1999, and being appointed in charge of the under-15s in 2003. In April 2004, Cardoso moved to
C.F. Os Belenenses and became the first team's fitness coach. On 10 May 2006, he followed former Belenenses manager
Carlos Carvalhal to
S.C. Braga, with the same role. In September 2007, Cardoso was named
Domingos Paciência's assistant at
Associação Académica de Coimbra. He continued to work as Paciência's second man at Braga,
Sporting CP and
Deportivo de La Coruña.
Shakhtar Donetsk On 12 June 2013, Cardoso was presented at
FC Shakhtar Donetsk, being appointed manager of the under-21 squad while also working as a coordinator for the club's youth setup. Ahead of the 2016–17 season, he became
Paulo Fonseca's assistant at the first team. Cardoso left Shakhtar on 8 June 2017.
Rio Ave On 12 June 2017, Cardoso was appointed at the helm of
Primeira Liga club
Rio Ave F.C., replacing departing
Luís Castro. After achieving three wins and a draw against
S.L. Benfica in his first four matches in charge, he was awarded the "Manager of the Month" for August. Cardoso led Rio Ave to a best-ever campaign in the top flight, finishing fifth (the club's best-ever position shared with the
1981–82 season under
Félix Mourinho), winning 51 points (beating the 50 reached by
Pedro Martins in
2015–16) and achieving qualification to the
UEFA Europa League.
Nantes On 13 June 2018, Cardoso was appointed as manager of French
Ligue 1 side
FC Nantes, replacing
Claudio Ranieri. He left the club on 2 October, after only obtaining six points in eight league matches.
Celta Vigo On 12 November 2018, Cardoso took over
La Liga side
RC Celta de Vigo, in the place of sacked
Antonio Mohamed. He gained international attention for his first press conference, in which he accidentally said that he was the manager of their
rivals Deportivo de La Coruña. The following 3 March he too was dismissed, with the
Galicians a place and two points above the relegation zone.
AEK Athens On 28 May 2019, Cardoso was appointed as head coach of Greek
Super League side
AEK Athens F.C., replacing
Manolo Jiménez on a two-year deal. He was fired on 25 August after just four matches, his third dismissal in twelve months.
Rio Ave After over a year out of work, Cardoso returned to Rio Ave on 29 January 2021, on an 18-month deal. His team
came 16th, and had to face
F.C. Arouca in a play-off for top-flight survival. They lost 5–0 on aggregate; between the two games the termination of his employment was informally arranged, and he was barred from the training ground.
Espérance de Tunis On 12 January 2024, Cardoso was appointed as head coach of
Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1 side
Espérance Sportive de Tunis, replacing
Tarek Thabet.
Mamelodi Sundowns After being sacked by Espérance in October 2024 following a poor start to the season,
South African Premiership club
Mamelodi Sundowns appointed Cardoso in December 2024. ==Managerial statistics==