 Pacheco in 2023 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Álvaro Adriano Teixeira Pacheco | ||
| Date of birth | (1971-06-25)25 June 1971 (age 54) | ||
| Place of birth | Vila Cova da Lixa, Portugal | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Casa Pia (manager) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1983–1988 | Lixa | ||
| 1988–1989 | Felgueiras | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1989–1991 | Felgueiras | 42 | (9) |
| 1991–1994 | Lixa | 25 | (8) |
| 1994–1995 | Aves | 8 | (0) |
| 1995–1996 | Lixa | 21 | (5) |
| 1996–1997 | Tirsense | 28 | (4) |
| 1997–1999 | Estoril | 35 | (11) |
| 1999–2000 | Lixa | 30 | (15) |
| 2000–2002 | Vilanovense | 44 | (14) |
| 2002–2003 | Dragões Sandinenses | 38 | (21) |
| 2003–2005 | Fafe | 53 | (8) |
| 2005–2007 | Paredes | 41 | (13) |
| 2007 | Amarante | 0 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2009–2011 | Penafiel (youth) | ||
| 2011–2012 | Lixa | ||
| 2012–2014 | Penafiel (assistant) | ||
| 2014–2016 | Moreirense (assistant) | ||
| 2016–2017 | Boavista (assistant) | ||
| 2018 | Jonava (assistant) | ||
| 2018–2019 | Fafe | ||
| 2019–2022 | Vizela | ||
| 2023 | Estoril | ||
| 2023–2024 | Vitória Guimarães | ||
| 2024 | Vasco da Gama | ||
| 2024–2025 | Al-Orobah | ||
| 2026– | Casa Pia | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Álvaro Adriano Teixeira Pacheco (born 25 June 1971) is a Portuguese formerfootballer and currentmanager ofPrimeira Liga clubCasa Pia.
After achieving a total of 70 games in thesecond tier as a player, he worked as an assistant manager toMiguel Leal before managing in his own right atFafe. Hired atVizela in 2019, he achieved consecutive promotions to thePrimeira Liga in his first two seasons, and also ledEstoril andVitória de Guimarães in the top flight.
Born in Vila Cova da Lixa,Felgueiras, Pacheco is a product of the football academies of his local clubsLixa andFelgueiras, while working as a locksmith with his father as a teenager. He started playing professional football with Felgueiras, having played 70 games in thesecond tier, and had spent most of his career in semi-pro leagues in Portugal. His first job as a manager was in 2005 with the youth ranks of his clubParedes, and he retired from playing in 2007, at the age of 34.[1]
Pacheco began his senior coaching career with Lixa in 2011. Afterwards, he was the assistant manager forMiguel Leal atPenafiel,Moreirense andBoavista, and with Filipe Ribeiro atJonava in Lithuania.[1]
On 24 September 2018, Pacheco returned to work as a head coach atFafe, ranked 7th in thethird tier.[2] In hisone season there, he took the team to the playoffs, where they were eliminated byPraiense in the quarter-finals.[3]
In June 2019, Pacheco signed forVizela, another team eliminated from the same stage of the play-offs.[3] His first season was aborted because of theCOVID-19 pandemic, and thePortuguese Football Federation promoted leaders Vizela andArouca to thesecond tier.[4]
On his debut as a professional manager on 12 September 2020, Pacheco won 2–1 at home toOliveirense.[5] His team sealed asecond successive promotion the following 22 May, beating Arouca to second place with a 5–2 home win overVilafranquense on the final day; Vizela's only previous season in thePrimeira Liga was 1984–85.[6] In July 2021, he was named Manager of the Year at theLPFP Awards and signed a contract for two more years.[7][8]
In his first top-flight game on 6 August 2021, Pacheco's Vizela lost 3–0 at reigning championsSporting CP.[9] On 23 December, his side won 1–0 at home in the fifth round of theTaça de Portugal againstdistrict neighbours and cup holdersBraga.[10] The team were eliminated 3–1 at home byPorto in the quarter-finals on 12 January 2022.[11]
On 30 November 2022, with Vizela in a safe 13th place and theseason paused due to the2022 FIFA World Cup, Pacheco was nonetheless dismissed and replaced by under-23 managerTulipa. Days later, he was honoured byVizela City Hall, and said that he wanted to return to the club.[12]
On 19 June 2023, Pacheco was hired for one year at fellow top-flight teamEstoril, where he had played nearly a quarter of a century earlier.[13] On 24 September, after sixPrimeira Liga matches, Estoril, sitting in penultimate place in the league table with four points, announced that Pacheco and his coaching staff had been relieved of their duties.[14][15]
On 4 October 2023, Pacheco was appointed manager ofPrimeira Liga sideVitória Guimarães, signing a two-year contract with theGuimarães-based side.[16] The third manager ofthe season afterMoreno andPaulo Turra, he led the club to seven wins in his first ten matches, also reaching a five-match unbeaten streak.[17]
In April 2024, Pacheco travelled to Brazil to hold talks withCuiabá, who eventually hired compatriotPetit. Vitória president António Miguel Cardoso was angered by the trip and dismissed Pacheco on 15 May 2024, having already qualified the club to the2024–25 UEFA Conference League. Cardoso said that could not be "held hostage" by a manager who wanted to leave; Pacheco sued him for defamation.[18]
Days after leaving Vitória, Pacheco signed forVasco da Gama of theCampeonato Brasileiro Série A. He cited the club's Portuguese origins and history of fighting discrimination as reasons for the move.[18] He only lasted four matches at the club before being sacked on 20 June 2024.[19]
On 21 July 2024, Pacheco was appointed manager ofSaudi Pro League sideAl-Orobah.[20] On 2 January 2025, Pacheco resigned from his post as manager.[21]
On 8 January 2026, Pacheco returned to Portugal, taking charge ofCasa Pia, who sat 15th in the Primeira Liga table.[22]
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | ||||
| Lixa |  | 1 July 2011 | 12 March 2012 | 25 | 14 | 3 | 8 | 46 | 29 | +17 | 056.00 |
| Fafe | | 17 September 2018 | 4 June 2019 | 33 | 21 | 8 | 4 | 58 | 22 | +36 | 063.64 |
| Vizela | | 4 June 2019 | 30 November 2022 | 120 | 55 | 32 | 33 | 199 | 143 | +56 | 045.83 |
| Estoril | | 19 June 2023 | 24 September 2023 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 19 | 16 | +3 | 037.50 |
| Vitória Guimarães | | 4 October 2023 | 15 May 2024 | 33 | 19 | 5 | 9 | 55 | 36 | +19 | 057.58 |
| Vasco da Gama |  | 21 May 2024 | 20 June 2024 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 10 | −9 | 000.00 |
| Al-Orobah |  | 21 July 2024 | 2 January 2025 | 14 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 12 | 29 | −17 | 028.57 |
| Total | 237 | 116 | 51 | 70 | 390 | 285 | +105 | 048.95 | |||