Rui Vitória was named the new manager of Egypt on Tuesday, proving an eventual successor to Carlos Queiroz.
Former Benfica boss Vitória has signed a four-year deal with the Pharaohs, which marks his first international post. Queiroz left his role as Egypt boss in April having failed to qualify for the World Cup, since when Ehab Galal lasted just three matches before being fired after just two months in the job.
Egyptian football is proving a popular destination for Portuguese coaches at present. The country’s two traditional powerhouses at the club level are also headed by Portuguese bosses, with Ricardo Soares recently arrived at Al Ahly and veteran Jesualdo Ferreira in position at fierce rivals Zamalek.
Vitoria started his coaching career in the early 2000s, taking the reins of several Portuguese clubs such as Pacos Ferreira, Vitoria Guimaraes and Benfica.
He made an instant impact at Benfica, leading the club to back-to-back league titles in 2016 and 2017 as well as domestic Cup and League Cup triumphs.
He then moved to Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nasr, whom he also steered to the coveted league crown in 2019.
His most recent spell was a brief one at the Russian giants Spartak Moscow, which ended in December last year following a series of poor results in the domestic league, including a 7-1 drubbing at the hands of Zenit Saint Petersburg.
