Early years In 1996, while recovering from a knee injury, Renato was an interim manager of Fluminense on two occasions. As the club struggled to remain outside the relegation zone, Renato "promised to walk naked in the
Ipanema beach" if the club suffered relegation, which did occur after they finished in the penultimate place; however, a match-fixing scandal canceled the relegations shortly after, which kept Fluminense in the first division. Renato's whole managerial experience occurred in 2001, as he took over
Madureira.
Fluminense Between 2 September 2002 and 11 July 2003, and between 1 October 2003 and 28 December 2003, Renato was coach of Fluminense.
Vasco da Gama From July 2005 to April 2007, Renato was
Vasco da Gama's coach.
Fluminense return in 2007 In April 2007, he returned to Fluminense as a manager. On 6 June 2007, he won the Brazilian Cup with Fluminense, his first trophy as a manager. However, he failed to win the Copa Libertadores as Fluminense was defeated in a penalty shootout to underdogs LDU from Ecuador in the final. On 10 August 2008, Renato was sacked as manager of
Flu, following a 2–1 defeat to the Brasileirão's bottom side,
Ipatinga which left them joint-bottom of the table.
Vasco da Gama return On 18 September 2008, he was hired as Vasco's manager. He left after the club's relegation, in December.
Fourth spell at Fluminense Fluminense reappointed Renato on 21 July 2009 to replace
Carlos Alberto Parreira. Renato returned for a fourth stint, having already coached Fluminense twice (in 2002–2003, 2003 and again in 2007–2008). On 1 September 2009, Fluminense dismissed him following a series of poor results.
Bahia On 13 December 2009, Renato was named manager of
Bahia for the 2010 season, in the place of
Paulo Bonamigo.
Grêmio On 10 August 2010, Grêmio confirmed Renato was their new coach, two days after the sacking of their former coach, Silas. He tried to start a good season, but in his debut, the team lost to
Goiás and was eliminated from the
2010 Copa Sudamericana on the Second Stage. In the
2010 Brazilian League, Grêmio ended in 4th place and consequently qualified to
2011 Copa Libertadores. Afterward, Renato did not have a great season in 2011. His team lost the
2011 Campeonato Gaúcho finals to their rival
Internacional and was the runner-up. Grêmio was also eliminated from the
2011 Copa Libertadores in the Round of 16, losing to Chilean club
Universidad Católica. All of that disappointed himself and Grêmio's President Paulo Odone. He coached some matches of the
2011 Brazilian League. However, their performance wasn't good, and Renato resigned on 30 June.
Atlético Paranaense On 4 July 2011, Renato was announced as head coach of
Atlético Paranaense. He resigned on 1 September, alleging family reasons.
Grêmio return Even after two years without coaching any club, Renato was the first choice of Fábio Koff, president of Grêmio, to succeed
Vanderlei Luxemburgo as the new coach of Grêmio. On 2 July 2013, the coach signed with the club and was presented to more than 5,000 supporters in
Grêmio Arena. Renato left Grêmio in December 2013, after failing to agree to a new contract.
Fifth spell at Fluminense in 2014 Renato returned to
Flu on 24 December 2013. He was dismissed the following 2 April, after being knocked out in the
2014 Campeonato Carioca.
Third spell at Grêmio In September 2016, Renato returned to Grêmio in the place of
Roger Machado. In the following year, Grêmio had a great campaign in
Libertadores Group Stage, and classification as the first of its group, Grêmio played against
Godoy Cruz (16th),
Botafogo (8th),
Barcelona de Guayaquil (4th). In the last year that the final was played in the two teams' stadium (2018 the last game of final was played in Spain and in 2019 the rule was changed and the finals now are played in just one game, as Champions League is), Grêmio won in an emotional 1-0 in Arena do Grêmio and in the 2nd game against
Lanús at
Estádio La fortaleza Grêmio won by 2-1 and became a
Libertadores Champion for the 3rd time. In the 2018 season, he helped his team to win the
Recopa Sudamericana over
Independiente and the
Campeonato Gaúcho over
Brasil de Pelotas, their first win since 2010. Renato helped Grêmio to win the
Campeonato Gaúcho in the 2019 and 2020 campaigns while also having a statue of him inaugurated near the
Arena do Grêmio in March 2019. On 15 April 2021, after being knocked out in the first stages of the
2021 Copa Libertadores, he was sacked by the club after more than four years in charge; he was the longest-serving manager in all the four divisions of Brazilian football.
Flamengo Following his sacking by Grêmio, Flamengo hired Renato on 10 July 2021, having previously played for them as a player across four separate stints. He signed a contract until the end of the season. Renato won his first six matches in charge of the club, averaging four goals per match. On 29 September, he helped his side to reach the
2021 Copa Libertadores Final, after defeating
Barcelona SC 4–0 on aggregate. Flamengo's good form did not last long under Renato's guidance. After the club lost the Libertadores Final to
Palmeiras, he left on a mutual agreement on 29 November 2021.
Fourth spell at Grêmio On 1 September 2022, Renato returned to Grêmio, again replacing sacked Roger Machado. He won two more
Campeonato Gaúcho during his fourth spell, being the coach for five of the team's historical seven-year title streak through 2018 to 2024. With the 2024 title, he also became the coach with the most titles in Grêmio's history, alongside
Oswaldo Rolla. On 9 December 2024, Grêmio announced Renato's departure, as his contract would not be renewed.
Sixth spell at Fluminense On 3 April 2025, Renato was appointed head coach of Fluminense, signing a contract until the end of the year; it was his seventh coaching spell at the club, the sixth as an official head coach. On 23 September 2025, he resigned after being eliminated by
Lanús in the
Copa Sudamericana; heavily criticized by the supporters after the substitutions during the second half of the game, he announced his departure in the post-match conference, and the club confirmed his resignation hours later.
Third spell at Vasco da Gama On 3 March 2026, Vasco announced the return of Renato as a head coach, on a contract until the end of the year. ==Career statistics==