_(cropped).png) Braga in 2018 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Abel Carlos da Silva Braga | ||
| Date of birth | (1952-09-01)1 September 1952 (age 73) | ||
| Place of birth | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | ||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft1+1⁄2 in) | ||
| Position | Centre back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Internacional (technical director) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1968–1971 | Fluminense | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1971–1976 | Fluminense | 51 | (1) |
| 1973 | →Figueirense (loan) | 18 | (1) |
| 1976–1979 | Vasco da Gama | 144 | (2) |
| 1979–1981 | Paris Saint-Germain | 45 | (9) |
| 1981–1982 | Cruzeiro | 27 | (4) |
| 1982–1984 | Botafogo | 62 | (11) |
| 1984 | Goytacaz | 18 | (2) |
| International career | |||
| 1971–1978 | Brazil | 4 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1985 | Goytacaz | ||
| 1985 | Botafogo | ||
| 1985–1986 | Rio Ave | ||
| 1986 | Vitória | ||
| 1987 | Galícia | ||
| 1987–1988 | Santa Cruz | ||
| 1988–1989 | Internacional | ||
| 1989–1991 | Famalicão | ||
| 1991 | Internacional | ||
| 1992–1993 | Belenenses | ||
| 1993–1994 | Famalicão | ||
| 1994–1995 | Vitória de Setúbal | ||
| 1995 | Vasco da Gama | ||
| 1995 | Internacional | ||
| 1997 | Guarani | ||
| 1997–1998 | Atlético Paranaense | ||
| 1998 | Bahia | ||
| 1999 | Coritiba | ||
| 1999–2000 | Paraná | ||
| 2000 | Vasco da Gama | ||
| 2000 | Marseille | ||
| 2001 | Atlético Mineiro | ||
| 2001–2002 | Botafogo | ||
| 2002 | Botafogo | ||
| 2002 | Atlético Paranaense | ||
| 2003 | Ponte Preta | ||
| 2004 | Flamengo | ||
| 2005 | Fluminense | ||
| 2006–2007 | Internacional | ||
| 2007–2008 | Internacional | ||
| 2008–2011 | Al Jazira | ||
| 2011–2013 | Fluminense | ||
| 2014 | Internacional | ||
| 2015 | Al Jazira | ||
| 2017–2018 | Fluminense | ||
| 2019 | Flamengo | ||
| 2019 | Cruzeiro | ||
| 2020 | Vasco da Gama | ||
| 2020–2021 | Internacional | ||
| 2021 | Lugano | ||
| 2022 | Fluminense | ||
| 2025 | Internacional | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Abel Carlos da Silva Braga (born 1 September 1952) is a Brazilianfootball coach and formerplayer. He is the current technical director ofInternacional.
Braga played as acentral defender during a professional career that started withFluminense in 1968. He earned onecap forBrazil, and was on the1978 FIFA World Cup squad.
Since his retirement in 1985, Braga has managed a number of clubs in Brazil and Portugal, including three spells at Fluminense and eight spells atInternacional, with whom won theCopa Libertadores andFIFA Club World Cup in 2006. He has also managed French clubMarseille, as well as Emirati clubAl Jazira over two spells.
Known asAbel during his playing days, he started his career as a player inFluminense in 1968, being a regular member of the youth sides.[1] After becoming a part of the first team squad in 1971, he was loaned toFigueirense in 1973.[2]
Back toFlu in 1974, Abel enjoyed a run as a first-choice, but lost his starting spot under head coachesCarlos Alberto Parreira andPaulo Emilio.[3] Unhappy with his backup status, he saw moves toFlamengo andAmerica-RJ being blocked by Fluminense presidentFrancisco Horta,[3] but was sent toVasco da Gama along with two teammates in early 1976.[3]
Abel then established himself as a regular starter for Vasco, playing 90 matches in his first season.[2] In 1979, he moved abroad for the first time in his career, signing for French clubParis Saint-Germain.[2]
Back to Brazil in 1981, Abel returned to his home country to play forCruzeiro, but aknee injury took him out for two months shortly after arriving, and he lost space after recovering.[4] He then moved toBotafogo in 1982, where he also struggled with injuries, and later representedGoytacaz, retiring with the club at the end of the 1984 season, aged 32.[2]
Abel played for an under-23 side (namedSeleção Brasileira de Novos) in the1971 CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament, before playing two matches in the1972 Summer Olympics.[2] He made his full international debut for theBrazil national team on 19 April 1978, in a 1–1 draw againstEngland at theWembley Stadium.
Abel was also included inCláudio Coutinho's squad for the1978 FIFA World Cup in Argentina, but did not make an appearance in the tournament.[5]
In 1985, immediately after retiring, Braga began working as a head coach at his last club Goytacaz. He returned to Botafogo shortly after, coaching the club in the1985 Campeonato Carioca, before moving to Portugal to take overRio Ave in November 1985.
Back to Brazil after the end of the 1985–86 season, Braga was in charge ofVitória for the remainder of the year, and later ledGalícia andSanta Cruz (where he won the 1987Campeonato Pernambucano) before being appointed head coach ofInternacional in October 1988, replacingChiquinho.[6]
Braga led Inter to the finals of the1988 Série A, losing toBahia, and was knocked out in the semifinals of the1989 Copa Libertadores toOlimpia on penalties. Sacked in June 1989, he returned to Portugal shortly after, taking overFamalicão.
In June 1991, after leading Famalicão to thePrimeira Liga, Abel returned to Internacional in the place ofÊnio Andrade,[6] but only lasted three months in charge. In November 1993, after nearly two years atBelenenses (where he also achieved promotion to the top tier), he returned to Famalicão.
Back to Rio Ave in August 1994, Braga was in charge of the side for six matches before being dismissed. He would also manageVitória de Setúbal in Portugal before joining another club he represented as a player,Vasco da Gama, in April 1995.[7]
Sacked in May 1995,[7] Braga returned to Inter for a third spell in July, and remained in charge until the end of the campaign. On 25 March 1997, after more than a year without a club, he replacedGeninho as head coach ofGuarani,[8] but only lasted five matches before being sacked on 21 April.[9]
On 28 June 1997, Braga agreed to becomeAtlético Paranaense's head coach,[10] and led the club to the 1998Campeonato Paranaense. Departing in August of that year, he spent a short period in charge of Bahia before returning to the state in April 1999, taking overCoritiba and also winning the year's state league over his former club Atlético.
Sacked fromCoxa in September 1999, Braga took overParaná in the following month,[11] and was kept in charge despite suffering relegation. In March 2000, however, he left the club after receiving an offer to return to Vasco.[7]
In July 2000, Braga signed forOlympique de Marseille –rivals of his former team PSG – who had only just stayed inLigue 1 on the last day of the previous season. He spent large amounts of money to buy compatriotsMarcelinho Paraíba andAdriano Gabiru, and was dismissed in November with the team in the relegation zone having won five out of 16 games.[12]
Back to his home country, Braga was appointedAtlético Mineiro head coach in January 2001, but was sacked on 19 April of that year.[13] He returned to Botafogo in October, and despite resigning in March 2002,[14] he returned to the club in August,[15] but resigned again in September.[16]
Back to Atlético Paranaense in October 2002, Braga was sacked in November,[17] and took overPonte Preta on 11 December.[18] After avoiding relegation, he left the club on 17 December 2003,[19]
Immediately after leaving Ponte, Braga took overFlamengo.[20] He won the 2004Taça Guanabara and theCampeonato Carioca withFla, but lost theCopa do Brasil to underdogsSanto André,[21] and resigned in July of that year after a loss toJuventude.[22]
On 21 December 2004, Braga returned toFluminense, now as head coach.[23] He won the2005 Campeonato Carioca, and again reached the final of theCopa do Brasil, again losing to another underdog,Paulista.
On 6 December 2005, after missing out on aCopa Libertadores spot, Braga left the club.[24]
On 13 December 2005, Braga was announced as head coach of Internacional, replacingMuricy Ramalho.[25] Despite losing the2006 Campeonato Gaúcho toGrêmio, he won theCopa Libertadores, and ended the season as the sixth best club coach by theIFFHS.[26]
Braga agreed to a new one-year contract on 12 December 2006,[27] and led the club to the2006 FIFA Club World Cup title – Inter's biggest-ever accolade – five days later. In April of the following year, however, he was sacked after being knocked out of the2007 Copa Libertadores in the group stage.[28]
On 10 August 2007, Braga returned to Internacional after the club had sackedAlexandre Gallo, his successor.[29] He won the2008 Campeonato Gaúcho, and departed the club in June of that year, after agreeing to a contract with Emirati sideAl Jazira.[30]
On 8 June 2011, Braga was presented back at Fluminense in his home country; he had agreed to return to the club 87 prior to his presentation, and the club was coached by his assistantLeomir de Souza [pt] in the meantime.[31] In the following season, he won both the2012 Campeonato Carioca and the2012 Série A, being awarded as the best coach of the league.
On 29 July 2013, after five consecutive loses in the2013 Série A that kept the club in relegation zone, Braga was dismissed from Fluminense.[32]
On 13 December, he returned to Inter for his sixth spell,[33] and won the2014 Campeonato Gaúcho. In December 2014, he left the club as his contract was due to expire.[34]
Braga then returned to Al Jazira for a second spell on 16 June 2015,[35] but parted company with the club in December after a string of poor results.[36]
On 1 December 2016, Fluminense announced Braga as their head coach for the ensuing season.[37] On 16 June 2018, he resigned from the club, after having won just one trophy, the 2017Taça Guanabara.[38]
On 2 January 2019, Braga returned to Flamengo as head coach.[39] They confirmed their status as favourites by winning the2019 Campeonato Carioca,[40] but Braga still resigned on 29 May, after being contested by fans.[41]
Cruzeiro announced Braga as head coach on 27 September 2019,[42] but sacked him on 29 November after winning three games out of 14.[43] He was announced as Vasco da Gama's head coach for the 2020 season on 16 December 2019,[44] but resigned the following 16 March.
On 10 November 2020, Braga returned to Internacional for a seventh spell as head coach, replacingEduardo Coudet.[45] He left the following 26 February, after losing the2020 Série A in the last round.[46]
In June 2021, Braga was hired bySwiss Super League clubFC Lugano,[47] but was sacked on 1 September after the team two wins and two defeats in the first 4 league matches of the 2021–22 season.[48]
On 15 December, Braga returned to Fluminense for a fourth spell as head coach,[49] but resigned on 28 April 2022, despite winning the2022 Campeonato Carioca.[50]
On 29 June 2022, Braga announced his retirement as a head coach, stating that he would not discard continue working with football but in another roles.[51]
On 29 November 2025, Braga came out of retirement to become the head coach of Internacional for the remaining two matches of the season; it was his eighth spell at the club.[52] He agreed to work with no wages in both of the matches, in an attempt to save the club from relegation,[53] which he succeeded in doing, and later became a technical director at the club.[54]
On 29 July 2017, Braga's 18-year-old son, João Pedro, died after falling from the balcony of the family's apartment in the Leblon region of Rio de Janeiro.[55] Braga was informed of his son's death whilst undergoing the final preparations for Fluminense's fixture against Ponte Preta the following day. Ponte Preta agreed to Fluminense's request to postpone the match, which was rescheduled by the CBF.
| Team | Nat. | From | To | Record | Ref | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | |||||
| Goytacaz |  | 1 January 1985 | 28 February 1985 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 066.67 | |
| Botafogo | | 1 March 1985 | 29 October 1985 | 35 | 13 | 10 | 12 | 40 | 44 | −4 | 037.14 | |
| Rio Ave |  | 1 November 1985 | 15 June 1986 | 31 | 20 | 10 | 1 | 56 | 23 | +33 | 064.52 | |
| Vitória | | 1 August 1986 | 15 December 1986 | 24 | 5 | 11 | 8 | 21 | 27 | −6 | 020.83 | |
| Galícia | | 1 February 1987 | 24 July 1987 | 22 | 4 | 4 | 14 | 15 | 32 | −17 | 018.18 | |
| Santa Cruz | | 1 August 1987 | 1 October 1988 | 49 | 24 | 9 | 16 | 81 | 53 | +28 | 048.98 | |
| Internacional | | 2 October 1988 | 18 June 1989 | 62 | 31 | 19 | 12 | 95 | 52 | +43 | 050.00 | |
| Famalicão | | July 1989 | May 1991 | 72 | 29 | 22 | 21 | 88 | 65 | +23 | 040.28 | [56] |
| Internacional | | 11 June 1991 | 22 September 1991 | 18 | 11 | 5 | 2 | 25 | 8 | +17 | 061.11 | |
| Belenenses | | 3 November 1991 | 16 October 1993 | 68 | 30 | 21 | 17 | 95 | 69 | +26 | 044.12 | [56] |
| Famalicão | | 28 November 1993 | 2 June 1994 | 24 | 4 | 7 | 13 | 19 | 54 | −35 | 016.67 | [56] |
| Rio Ave | | 21 August 1994 | 1 October 1994 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 7 | −1 | 033.33 | [56] |
| Vitória de Setúbal | | 20 November 1994 | 25 February 1995 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 9 | 21 | −12 | 008.33 | [56] |
| Vasco da Gama | | April 1995 | May 1995 | 14 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 19 | 15 | +4 | 042.86 | [7] |
| Internacional | | 12 July 1995 | 3 December 1995 | 29 | 12 | 9 | 8 | 44 | 27 | +17 | 041.38 | |
| Guarani | | 25 March 1997 | 20 April 1997 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 11 | −3 | 000.00 | |
| Atlético Paranaense | | 28 June 1997 | 21 August 1998 | 61 | 32 | 15 | 14 | 111 | 71 | +40 | 052.46 | |
| Bahia | | 24 August 1998 | 8 October 1998 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 2 | +12 | 050.00 | |
| Coritiba | | 30 April 1999 | September 1999 | 21 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 30 | 29 | +1 | 042.86 | |
| Paraná | | 7 October 1999 | 5 March 2000 | 20 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 28 | 24 | +4 | 050.00 | |
| Vasco da Gama | | 5 March 2000 | 2 June 2000 | 23 | 16 | 5 | 2 | 62 | 21 | +41 | 069.57 | [7] |
| Marseille |  | 2 June 2000 | 17 November 2000 | 16 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 17 | 20 | −3 | 031.25 | |
| Atlético Mineiro | | January 2001 | 19 April 2001 | 24 | 12 | 8 | 4 | 49 | 23 | +26 | 050.00 | |
| Botafogo | | 15 October 2001 | 8 July 2002 | 55 | 21 | 17 | 17 | 100 | 90 | +10 | 038.18 | |
| Botafogo | | 22 August 2002 | 22 September 2002 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 13 | −6 | 025.00 | |
| Atlético Paranaense | | 18 October 2002 | 19 November 2002 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 12 | +1 | 050.00 | |
| Ponte Preta | | 11 December 2002 | 14 December 2003 | 56 | 15 | 22 | 19 | 83 | 93 | −10 | 026.79 | |
| Flamengo | | 17 December 2003 | 18 July 2004 | 44 | 19 | 12 | 13 | 70 | 56 | +14 | 043.18 | [57] |
| Fluminense | | 21 December 2004 | 13 December 2005 | 74 | 37 | 17 | 20 | 144 | 109 | +35 | 050.00 | |
| Internacional | | 13 December 2005 | 24 April 2007 | 94 | 53 | 23 | 18 | 140 | 83 | +57 | 056.38 | |
| Internacional | | 10 August 2007 | 1 June 2008 | 50 | 28 | 9 | 13 | 93 | 45 | +48 | 056.00 | |
| Al Jazira |  | 2 July 2008 | 7 June 2011 | 86 | 51 | 21 | 14 | 195 | 114 | +81 | 059.30 | [58] |
| Fluminense | | 8 June 2011 | 29 July 2013 | 142 | 77 | 27 | 38 | 230 | 153 | +77 | 054.23 | [59] |
| Internacional | | 17 December 2013 | 31 December 2014 | 62 | 37 | 10 | 15 | 103 | 63 | +40 | 059.68 | |
| Al Jazira | | 16 June 2015 | 12 December 2015 | 16 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 32 | 38 | −6 | 018.75 | |
| Fluminense | | 30 November 2016 | 16 June 2018 | 109 | 43 | 29 | 37 | 166 | 129 | +37 | 039.45 | [60] |
| Flamengo | | 2 January 2019 | 29 May 2019 | 28 | 18 | 6 | 4 | 54 | 24 | +30 | 064.29 | |
| Cruzeiro | | 27 September 2019 | 29 November 2019 | 14 | 3 | 8 | 3 | 10 | 11 | −1 | 021.43 | |
| Vasco da Gama | | 16 December 2019 | 16 March 2020 | 14 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 9 | −1 | 028.57 | |
| Internacional | | 10 November 2020 | 26 February 2021 | 18 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 28 | 14 | +14 | 055.56 | [46] |
| Lugano |  | 30 June 2021 | 1 September 2021 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 14 | 8 | +6 | 050.00 | [61] |
| Fluminense | | 15 December 2021 | 28 April 2022 | 21 | 14 | 3 | 4 | 31 | 12 | +19 | 066.67 | |
| Internacional | | 29 November 2025 | 8 December 2025 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 050.00 | |
| Career total | 1,564 | 723 | 408 | 433 | 2,460 | 1,780 | +680 | 046.23 | — | |||
Brazil squads | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||
