Marcelo Oliveira · Biography

On 23 November 2014, Cruzeiro beat Goiás 2-1 and wrapped up, with several rounds to spare, a second consecutive Brazilian championship. On the bench was Marcelo de Oliveira Santos, born on 4 March 1955 in Pedro Leopoldo, Minas Gerais. Before coaching, he spent more than a decade as a midfielder at Atlético Mineiro, played for Brazil between 1975 and 1977 and ended his playing career in 1985 at América Mineiro.

Early years at Atlético Mineiro

Marcelo joined Atlético Mineiro’s youth system in 1969 and was promoted to the first team in 1972, under coach Telê Santana. He became a regular in a side that won the Campeonato Mineiro in 1976 and 1978 and the Copa dos Campeões da Copa Brasil in 1978. In 1977 he was part of the team that went through the Brazilian championship unbeaten yet finished as runners-up. He scored 104 goals for the club, according to the records compiled by Portuguese-language Wikipedia.

Botafogo, Nacional and the end of his playing days

In 1979 he moved to Botafogo in a swap deal that took defender Osmar Guarnelli to Atlético. His stay in Rio was short: after about three months he bought out his own contract and arranged a loan to Nacional of Montevideo. He returned to Atlético in 1983 and helped win that year’s Campeonato Mineiro and the Bern Tournament. His explanation was simple: “I was about to get married, so I preferred to go back to Galo.” In 1984 he played for Desportiva Ferroviária, winning the Espírito Santo state title, and in 1985 he retired at América Mineiro.

Brazil national team

For the senior Brazil side he made seven appearances and scored two goals between 1975 and 1977, a spell that included the 1975 Copa América and qualifying for the 1978 World Cup. With Brazil’s youth teams he won the 1974 Cannes Tournament and the gold medal at the 1975 Pan American Games.

First steps in coaching

His coaching career began in Atlético Mineiro’s academy, where he led the under-20 side from 2001 to 2007. He took charge of the first team on an interim basis six times; in the last of those, from August to December 2008, he oversaw 25 matches and secured a place in the 2009 Copa Sudamericana. He also worked at CRB in 2008. In February 2009 he joined Ipatinga, winners of the Minas Gerais second tier that year, and left on 16 July. He coached Paraná in Série B from December 2009 to October 2010.

Coritiba and Vasco

At Coritiba he won the 2011 Campeonato Paranaense without defeat, with 20 wins and two draws. Between 3 February and 5 May that year the team put together 24 straight wins, a run recognised by Guinness. He reached the Copa do Brasil final and lost it on away goals. In 2012 he retained the state title, beating Atlético Paranaense in the final, and returned to the Copa do Brasil final, this time losing to Palmeiras. He was dismissed on 5 September 2012 after 131 matches: 74 wins, 25 draws and 32 defeats. A week later he took over at Vasco da Gama, where he lasted ten games.

Back-to-back titles with Cruzeiro

His Cruzeiro debut came on 3 February 2013, a 2-1 win over Atlético Mineiro at the reopening of the Mineirão. On 13 November that year he sealed the 2013 Brazilian title, the earliest clinch of the round-robin era up to that point, and the CBF named him coach of the season. In 2014 he won the Campeonato Mineiro unbeaten, finished runner-up in the Copa do Brasil and claimed a second straight Brasileirão. On 23 March 2015 he reached his 100th win in 152 games with the club. He was sacked on 2 June 2015.

Palmeiras and final clubs

Hired by Palmeiras on 10 June 2015, he won the 2015 Copa do Brasil, beating Santos 4-3 on penalties in the final. He left on 10 March 2016 after 53 matches. He returned to Atlético Mineiro on 20 May 2016 and was dismissed on 24 November, after a 3-1 defeat in the first leg of the Copa do Brasil final. He had a second spell at Coritiba in 2017, coached Fluminense from June to November 2018 and, on 3 October 2020, took charge of Ponte Preta in Série B, leaving on 11 December 2020. In November 2024, in an interview with ge, he said he had stopped working as a coach.