Autuori interrupted ‘6th retirement’ as coach to take over Cruzeiro

Upon being announced as Cruzeiro’s interim coach until the end of 2023, Paulo Autuori, 67, interrupted his ‘retirement as a coach’ for the sixth time to return to the sidelines of the field. On August 30 of this year, the then technical director of Cruzeiro had refused to replace Pepa in charge of Cruzeiro following a request made by Ronaldo.

At the time, he told the ESPN that he would never return to the role he held for more than 40 years. “Emphatically: zero chance. Not now and here, nor in another place and time. My role in football, today, and until the end of my professional life, will no longer be as a coach,” he declared.

Retired as a coach, but not

2016

Paulo Autuori made his retirement as a coach official for the first time in 2015, when he left Cerezo Osaka in Japan. But, in March 2016, he changed his mind and signed with Athletico-PR.

“Athletico’s interest rekindled the spark in my eyes to be a coach in Brazil and change my schedule, which was already moving away from the coaching position.”, he explained at the time.

2017

In May 2017, the professional left field work at Furacão and took on the role of technical coordinator. At the end of this cycle as coach, Autuori reaffirmed that that had been his last job on the bench.

“I’m grateful because it prolonged my life as a coach, it was long overdue. I make decisions that have no return. For speculators, rest assured. This is a process that has no return. I will not give myself any more chances to become a coach in Brazil again“, he said.

2018

In 2018, Paulo Autuori left his position as technical coordinator at Fluminense and retired from the field to take over Ludogorets Razgrad from Bulgaria. Then he still coached Atlético Nacional de Medellínin Colombia, and again ‘retired’ as a coach.

2020

After a few months as coordinator of Santos, in 2019, Autuori once again felt seduced by an offer to be a coach and took charge of Botafogo in February 2020. Right at the presentation, the well-known warning came: “My trajectory as a coach is about to end in a very short time. Then I don’t want that anymore, I want to provide opportunities for new technicians. As a coach, you can say it’s my last job and charge me whenever you want.“, declared Autuori.

2021

The promise didn’t last long. Still in 2020, Paulo Autuori was hired by Athletico-PR to be the technical director. But, days later, faced with the club’s risk of relegation, the experienced professional accepted a request from president Mário Celso Petraglia to also hold the position of coachwhich he held until 2021. Keep counting!

2022

In 2022, Autuori resigned again from his position as coach to become football coordinator at Goiás and then technical director at Inter. Was his coaching career over? A resounding no! In the second semester, he accepted a new invitation to return to the field as coach, once again for Atlético Nacional in Colombia..

2023

Among so many comings and goings, Autuori arrived at Cruzeiro as technical director in August and, three months later, he is back on the bench. He will lead the team in the final six rounds with the mission of avoiding relegation to Series B.

In the last eight years, there have been eight jobs as coordinator or technical director and ten as a technician. Whoever lives will see what the year 2024 of Autuori will be like.