Muricy Ramalho · Biography

Muricy Ramalho made his debut for São Paulo’s first team on 22 August 1973, in a friendly against União Bandeirante that ended 1-0. He was born on 30 November 1955 in the city of São Paulo. He played as a midfielder for the São Paulo club and in Mexican football before moving into coaching. As a manager he won the Brazilian championship four times: three in a row with São Paulo, from 2006 to 2008, and once with Fluminense, in 2010. In 2011 he took Santos to the Copa Libertadores title.

Midfielder at São Paulo and Puebla

His first competitive match came on 10 November 1973, a 2-2 draw with Coritiba in that year’s Brazilian championship. He spent 1973 and 1974 on loan at Pontagrossense, in Paraná, then returned and established himself in the São Paulo squad. By 1979 he had played 177 matches and scored 26 goals for the club. During those years he won the 1975 Campeonato Paulista and was part of the squad that won the 1977 Brazilian championship, São Paulo’s first national title.

In 1979 he moved to Puebla in Mexico, where he won the league in the 1982-83 season. In 1984 he went on loan to América of Rio de Janeiro. As late as 1988 he played ten games for Grêmio Esportivo Atibaiense as player-coach.

Early years as a coach

He began coaching in 1993, at Puebla. The following year he went back to São Paulo to work in the youth system and as Telê Santana’s assistant, and on several occasions he took charge of the first team as interim coach. In that period the club won the 1994 Copa Conmebol and the 1996 Copa Master de Conmebol under him. In 1997 he coached Guarani, and in 1998 he went to China to manage Shanghai Shenhua, winning the Chinese FA Cup and the Chinese Super Cup that year. Back in Brazil he worked at Ituano and Botafogo-SP in 1999, and at Portuguesa Santista from 2000 to 2001.

The Northeast, the South and a Paulista with São Caetano

In 2001 he coached Náutico and Santa Cruz, both based in Recife. With Náutico he won the Pernambuco state championship in 2001 and 2002, and he also had a spell at Figueirense in 2002. In 2003 he joined Internacional in Porto Alegre and won the Rio Grande do Sul state title. In 2004 he managed São Caetano, winning the 2004 Campeonato Paulista, and later that year he returned to Internacional, taking the state title again in 2005.

Three straight Brazilian titles with São Paulo

In 2006 he took over São Paulo’s first team and stayed until 2009. Under him the club won the Brazilian championship in 2006, 2007 and 2008, as well as the Taça Governador do Estado de São Paulo in 2006 and 2007. In early 2008 the IFFHS ranked him 14th among the world’s coaches, the first Brazilian on its list. After leaving São Paulo in 2009, he managed Palmeiras from 2009 to 2010.

Fluminense, Santos and the Libertadores

In 2010 he joined Fluminense. That July the Brazilian federation chose him to coach the Brazil national team. He accepted on condition that his club let him go, but Fluminense refused to release him and the federation appointed Mano Menezes instead. Muricy stayed in Rio and won the 2010 Brazilian championship with Fluminense.

In 2011 he moved to Santos. There he won the Campeonato Paulista in 2011 and 2012, the 2011 Copa Libertadores, beating Peñarol in the final, and the 2012 Recopa Sudamericana. He left the club in May 2013.

Last spell on the bench and later roles

In September 2013 he returned to São Paulo, this time to coach the first team. In September 2014 he suffered atrial fibrillation and was admitted to intensive care. In April 2015 he left the club for health reasons. In December of that year Flamengo hired him for the 2016 season, and he coached them in 26 matches: 13 wins, 6 draws and 7 defeats. In May 2016 he had another episode of fibrillation, and on 26 May he announced that he was leaving.

In November 2016 he started working as a pundit for SporTV, beginning on 10 November with the Brazil v Argentina broadcast from the Mineirão. He left the channel on 14 December 2020 to join São Paulo’s football department. In January 2021 he became the club’s football coordinator and held the post until 23 January 2026, when he resigned.