| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Fernando Diniz Silva | ||
| Date of birth | (1974-03-27)27 March 1974 (age 51) | ||
| Place of birth | Patos de Minas, Brazil | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Vasco da Gama (head coach) | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1993–1996 | Juventus-SP | ||
| 1995 | →Guarani (loan) | 18 | (3) |
| 1996 | Palmeiras | 18 | (1) |
| 1997–1998 | Corinthians | 26 | (0) |
| 1998–2000 | Paraná | 52 | (6) |
| 2000–2003 | Fluminense | 72 | (4) |
| 2003 | Flamengo | 12 | (1) |
| 2004 | Juventude | 0 | (0) |
| 2004 | Cruzeiro | 8 | (0) |
| 2005 | Santos | 2 | (0) |
| 2006–2007 | Paulista | 19 | (3) |
| 2007 | Santo André | 17 | (1) |
| 2008 | Juventus-SP | 10 | (0) |
| 2008 | Gama | 1 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2009–2010 | Votoraty | ||
| 2010 | Paulista | ||
| 2011 | Botafogo-SP | ||
| 2012 | Atlético Sorocaba | ||
| 2013–2014 | Audax | ||
| 2014 | Guaratinguetá | ||
| 2015 | Audax | ||
| 2015 | Paraná | ||
| 2016 | Audax | ||
| 2016 | Oeste | ||
| 2017 | Audax | ||
| 2018 | Atlético Paranaense | ||
| 2019 | Fluminense | ||
| 2019–2021 | São Paulo | ||
| 2021 | Santos | ||
| 2021 | Vasco da Gama | ||
| 2022–2024 | Fluminense | ||
| 2023–2024 | Brazil (interim) | ||
| 2024–2025 | Cruzeiro | ||
| 2025– | Vasco da Gama | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Fernando Diniz Silva (born 27 March 1974) is a Brazilian professionalfootballcoach and former player who played as amidfielder.[1] He is the current head coach ofVasco da Gama.
Diniz is widely recognized in Brazil for his unique style of tactical structure, prioritizing ball control, and having something close to a modern style ofJogo Bonito. Initially compared toPep Guardiola'stiki-taka, his style of play is described in Brazil as theDinizismo.[2]
Born inPatos de Minas,Minas Gerais, Diniz started his career withJuventus-SP in 1993. In 1996, he moved toGuarani, but agreed to a contract withPalmeiras shortly after.
In 1997, Diniz moved to Palmeiras' fierce rivalsCorinthians, featuring regularly during his two-year spell at the club. He subsequently representedParaná,Fluminense,Flamengo,[3]Juventude,Cruzeiro[4] andSantos,[5] all in the top tier.
In 2006, Diniz signed forPaulista, and later played forSanto André andGama.[6] He retired with the latter in 2008, aged 34.
One year after retiring, Diniz was appointed head coach of lowlyVotoraty,[7] where he was crowned champions of bothCopa Paulista andCampeonato Paulista Série A3. In 2010 he moved to Paulista, club he already represented as a player, and won another Copa Paulista with the side.
On 5 February 2011, Diniz was namedBotafogo-SP head coach,[8] but was fired after only four matches in charge.[9] He was appointed at the helm ofAtlético Sorocaba in 2012. Despite achieving promotion from theCampeonato Paulista Série A2, he was relieved from his duties in October of that year.[10]
In 2013, Diniz joinedAudax, and introduced thetiki-taka, style ofBarcelona, in the club.[11][12] On 8 July 2015 he moved to another club he represented as a player, Paraná.[13][14]
Diniz returned to Audax for the2016 Campeonato Paulista, which he managed to lead the side tothe finals, but lost toSantos. Subsequently, he was appointed head coach ofOeste after a partnership between Oeste and Audax was established.[15][16]
Diniz returned to Audax for a third spell in 2017, butsuffered relegation.
Diniz only returned to managerial duties in the following season; after being announced as head coach ofGuarani in November 2017, he signed withAtlético Paranaense in January 2018.[17] He was dismissed from the team in June,[18] being subsequently replaced by under-23 coachTiago Nunes.
On 19 December 2018, Diniz was appointed head coach of another club he represented as a player, Fluminense.[19] He was sacked by the club on 19 August 2019.[20]
Diniz took overSão Paulo on 27 September 2019.[21] In the2020 Série A, he led the club to a streak of 17 matches undefeated from September to December.[22]
In January 2021, during a 2–4 loss toRed Bull Bragantino, Diniz had an argument withTchê Tchê which led to strong media criticism due to his way of speaking to the player.[23] On 1 February, after seven winless matches, he was sacked.[24]
On 6 May 2021, Diniz agreed to a one-year contract with Santos,[25] being officially named head coach the following day.[26] On 5 September, after six matches without winning, he was sacked byPeixe.[27]
Four days after leaving Santos, Diniz was appointed atVasco da Gama in the second division.[28] He was dismissed on 11 November 2021, after failing to achieve promotion.[29]
Diniz returned to Fluminense on 30 April 2022, afterAbel Braga resigned.[30] He won the2023 Campeonato Carioca with the club, his first major trophy as a head coach.[31] He also led them to success in the2023 Copa Libertadores by winning the final 2–1 againstBoca Juniors.[32]
On 24 June 2024, Diniz was dismissed fromFlu after a poor performance in the2024 Série A.[33]
On 4 July 2023, Diniz was appointed as interim head coach of theBrazil national team on a one-year deal.[34] On 21 November, Brazil lost 1–0 toArgentina at theMaracanã Stadium, which was the nation's first-ever defeat at home in a World Cup qualification match.[35]
On 5 January 2024,CBF presidentEdnaldo Rodrigues dismissed Diniz from his role as Brazil interim head coach.[36]
On 23 September 2024, Diniz took over another club he represented as a player, Cruzeiro. He signed a contract until the end of 2025, and replaced sackedFernando Seabra.[37]
Heavily criticized due to the club's poor run after his arrival, Diniz was sacked on 27 January 2025, with just three matches into the new season.[38] He left after seven defeats, seven draws and four wins in 18 matches.
On 9 May 2025, Diniz returned to Vasco on a contract until the end of 2026.[39]
| Club | Season | League | State League | Cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Juventus-SP | 1995 | Série C | 0 | 0 | 25 | 3 | — | — | — | 25 | 3 | |||
| 1996 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 2 | — | — | — | 26 | 2 | |||||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 51 | 5 | — | — | — | 51 | 5 | |||||
| Guarani (loan) | 1995 | Série A | 18 | 3 | — | — | 1[a] | 0 | — | 19 | 3 | |||
| Palmeiras | 1996 | Série A | 18 | 1 | — | — | 2[a] | 0 | — | 20 | 1 | |||
| Corinthians | 1997 | Série A | 12 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 25 | 0 | ||
| 1998 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 4[b] | 0 | 10 | 1 | |||
| Total | 12 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 5 | 1 | — | 4 | 0 | 35 | 1 | |||
| Paraná | 1998 | Série A | 17 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 17 | 1 | ||||
| 1999 | 15 | 1 | 8 | 1 | — | 4[a] | 0 | 12[c] | 0 | 39 | 2 | |||
| 2000 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 15 | 3 | |||
| Total | 32 | 2 | 20 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 71 | 6 | ||
| Fluminense | 2000[40] | Série A | 14 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 14 | 2 | ||||
| 2001[41] | 16 | 1 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 5[b] | 0 | 38 | 1 | |||
| 2002[41] | 18 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 2 | — | 15[d] | 1 | 41 | 4 | |||
| 2003[41] | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 8 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 49 | 4 | 23 | 0 | 9 | 2 | — | 20 | 1 | 101 | 7 | |||
| Flamengo | 2003[42] | Série A | 12 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 12 | 1 | ||||
| Juventude | 2004 | Série A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Cruzeiro | 2004 | Série A | 8 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 8 | 0 | ||||
| Santos | 2005 | Série A | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 2[e] | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | ||
| Paulista | 2006 | Série B | 5 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 5 | 2 | ||||
| 2007 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 1 | — | — | — | 14 | 1 | |||||
| Total | 5 | 2 | 14 | 1 | — | — | — | 19 | 3 | |||||
| Santo André | 2007 | Série B | 17 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 17 | 1 | ||||
| Juventus-SP | 2008 | Paulista | — | 10 | 0 | — | — | — | 10 | 0 | ||||
| Gama | 2008 | Série B | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Career total | 172 | 14 | 134 | 10 | 17 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 36 | 1 | 368 | 28 | ||
| Team | From | To | Record | Ref | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | ||||
| Votoraty | 12 January 2009 | 30 June 2010 | 77 | 38 | 17 | 22 | 129 | 90 | +39 | 049.35 | |
| Paulista | 1 July 2010 | 3 February 2011 | 54 | 23 | 19 | 12 | 92 | 71 | +21 | 042.59 | |
| Botafogo-SP | 4 February 2011 | 5 March 2011 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 10 | −5 | 025.00 | [9] |
| Atlético Sorocaba | January 2012 | 17 October 2012 | 45 | 24 | 8 | 13 | 86 | 63 | +23 | 053.33 | [10] |
| Audax | 1 January 2013 | 25 April 2014 | 64 | 33 | 18 | 13 | 99 | 61 | +38 | 051.56 | [43] |
| Guaratinguetá | 25 April 2014 | October 2014 | 18 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 32 | 18 | +14 | 033.33 | |
| Audax | October 2014 | 8 July 2015 | 15 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 23 | 19 | +4 | 040.00 | [43] |
| Paraná | 8 July 2015 | 27 September 2015 | 17 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 22 | 21 | +1 | 041.18 | [44] |
| Audax | 30 October 2015 | 16 May 2016 | 19 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 32 | 26 | +6 | 042.11 | [43] |
| Oeste | 16 May 2016 | 27 November 2016 | 37 | 9 | 16 | 12 | 34 | 45 | −11 | 024.32 | [43] |
| Audax | 27 November 2016 | 2 June 2017 | 14 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 18 | 22 | −4 | 021.43 | [43] |
| Atlético Paranaense | 3 January 2018 | 25 June 2018 | 21 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 25 | 27 | −2 | 023.81 | [45] |
| Fluminense | 19 December 2018 | 19 August 2019 | 44 | 18 | 11 | 15 | 71 | 48 | +23 | 040.91 | [20] |
| São Paulo | 27 September 2019 | 1 February 2021 | 77 | 35 | 21 | 21 | 120 | 89 | +31 | 045.45 | [24] |
| Santos | 7 May 2021 | 5 September 2021 | 27 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 29 | 29 | +0 | 037.04 | [46] |
| Vasco da Gama | 9 September 2021 | 11 November 2021 | 12 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 12 | 18 | −6 | 033.33 | |
| Fluminense | 30 April 2022 | 24 June 2024 | 144 | 73 | 30 | 41 | 233 | 156 | +77 | 050.69 | |
| Brazil (Interim) | 4 July 2023 | 5 January 2024 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 7 | +1 | 033.33 | [36] |
| Cruzeiro | 23 September 2024 | 27 January 2025 | 18 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 15 | 21 | −6 | 022.22 | |
| Vasco da Gama | 9 May 2025 | present | 52 | 17 | 14 | 21 | 72 | 70 | +2 | 032.69 | |
| Total | 765 | 326 | 202 | 237 | 1,157 | 911 | +246 | 042.61 | — | ||
Corinthians
Fluminense
Votoraty
Paulista
Fluminense
Cruzeiro
Individual