Sylvinho recalls spell as Corinthians manager at start of the decade | OneFootball

Sylvinho, who as a professional player played at left-back and came through Corinthians’ youth academy, looked back on his spell as Timão’s head coach between May 2021 and February 2022 in an interview with the Fala Fonte program on ESPN Brasil. In the conversation, he mentioned the challenge of leading the team during the pandemic, with empty stadiums most of the time, and recalled the team’s comeback campaign in the 2021 Brazilian Championship.

After a turbulent start, with the team even coming close to the relegation zone, the arrival of players such as Giuliano, Renato Augusto, William, and Roger Guedes in the second half of that year helped the side finish the competition in fifth place and, consequently, secure a direct spot in the following year’s Libertadores group stage. That was, in fact, Timão’s best Brasileirão campaign since winning their seventh national title in 2017.

“When I left Corinthians, it was my second job, I had come from Lyon (France), and it was a very difficult challenge. Those ten months of work were very intense. It was a Brazilian Championship in which we managed to finish in fifth place. In previous years, Corinthians had flirted a bit with relegation.”

“It was very exhausting for me and for the entire coaching staff. We worked very hard, and we played a good part of the matches without the fans (because of the pandemic). You have to put some things into perspective, but I leave happy with the work and the experience I gained there as well.”

In 2018, Alvinegro finished only 13th with 44 points. The following year, they came in eighth with 56 points and secured a place in the Libertadores preliminary rounds. In the 2020 season, just like in the edition before that, they again battled relegation, but ended the championship in 12th place with 51 points. 

Despite the recovery campaign in that edition of the Brazilian Championship, Sylvinho, as head coach, never truly won over the Fiel Torcida. After starting 2022 in charge, he was dismissed as early as the team’s third match of the year, following a 2-1 comeback defeat to Santos in the Paulista Championship qualifying stage.

In the technical area leading Corinthians, he recorded 16 wins, 14 draws, and 13 losses, which represents a 48% win rate. In addition, the team scored 42 goals and conceded 40. At the time, Corinthians’ board, led by Duílio Monteiro Alves, hired Portuguese coach Vitor Pereira as his replacement, and he remained until December 2022. Sylvinho is currently a free agent after leaving the Albania national team, which he managed between January 2023 and May 2026.

Sylvinho as a Corinthians player

Developed in Corinthians’ youth academy and a Copa São Paulo champion, the former left-back played for Timão’s senior team between 1993 and 1999. In total, he scored two goals in 269 matches (260 as a starter), with 118 wins, 78 draws, and 73 losses — a 53.5% success rate. He also won six titles: the Campeonato Paulista (1995, 1997, and 1999), the Copa do Brasil (1995), the Brasileirão (1998), and the Ramón de Carranza Trophy (1996).

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