Álvaro Pacheco

Álvaro Pacheco
Álvaro Adriano Teixeira Pacheco (born 25 June 1971) is a Portuguese professional football manager and former player. He is currently the manager of Primeira Liga club Vitória SC.
After achieving a total of 70 games in the second tier as a player, he worked as an assistant manager to Miguel Leal before managing in his own right at Fafe. Hired at Vizela in 2019, he achieved consecutive promotions to the Primeira Liga in his first two seasons, and also led Estoril in the top flight.
Playing career
Born in Vila Cova da Lixa, Felgueiras, Pacheco is a product of the football academies of his local clubs Lixa and F.C. Felgueiras, while working as a locksmith with his father as a teenager. He started playing professional football with Felgueiras, having played 70 games in the second tier, and had spent most of his career in semi-pro leagues in Portugal. His first job as a manager was in 2005 with the youth ranks of his club Paredes, and he retired from playing in 2007, at the age of 34.
Coaching career
Early years
Pacheco began his senior coaching career with Lixa in 2011. Afterwards, he was the assistant manager for Miguel Leal at Penafiel, Moreirense and Boavista, and with Filipe Ribeiro at Jonava in Lithuania.
On 24 September 2018, Pacheco returned to work as a head coach at Fafe, ranked 7th in the third tier. In his one season there, he took the team to the playoffs, where they were eliminated by Praiense in the quarter-finals.
Vizela
In June 2019, Pacheco signed for Vizela, another team eliminated from the same stage of the play-offs. His first season was aborted because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Portuguese Football Federation promoted leaders Vizela and Arouca to the second tier.
On his debut as a professional manager on 12 September 2020, Pacheco won 2–1 at home to U.D. Oliveirense. His team sealed a second successive promotion the following 22 May, beating Arouca to second place with a 5–2 home win over Vilafranquense on the final day; Vizela's only previous season in the Primeira Liga was 1984–85. In July 2021, he was named Manager of the Year at the LPFP Awards and signed a contract for two more years.
In his first top-flight game on 6 August 2021, Pacheco's Vizela lost 3–0 at reigning champions Sporting CP. On 23 December, his side won 1–0 at home in the fifth round of the Taça de Portugal against district neighbours and cup holders Braga. The team were eliminated 3–1 at home by Porto in the quarter-finals on 12 January 2022.
On 30 November 2022, with Vizela in a safe 13th place and the season paused due to the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Pacheco was nonetheless dismissed and replaced by under-23 manager Tulipa. Days later, he was honoured by Vizela City Hall, and said that he wanted to return to the club.
Estoril
On 19 June 2023, Pacheco was hired for one year at fellow top-flight team Estoril Praia, where he had played nearly a quarter of a century earlier. On 24 September, after six Primeira Liga matches, Estoril, sitting in penultimate place in the league table with 4 points, announced that Pacheco and his coaching staff had been relieved of their duties.
Vitória SC
On 4 October 2023, Pacheco was appointed manager of Primeira Liga side Vitória S.C., signing a two-year contract with the Guimarães-based side.
Managerial statistics
Honours
Liga Portugal 2 Coach of the Season: 2020-21
References
External links
Soccerway manager profile
1971 births
Living people
People from Felgueiras
Sportspeople from Porto District
Portuguese men's footballers
Liga Portugal 2 players
Segunda Divisão players
Campeonato de Portugal (league) players
Men's association football forwards
F.C. Felgueiras 1932 players
C.D. Aves players
G.D. Estoril Praia players
S.C. Dragões Sandinenses players
AD Fafe players
U.S.C. Paredes players
Portuguese football managers
Liga Portugal 2 managers
Primeira Liga managers
F.C. Vizela managers
G.D. Estoril Praia managers
Vitória S.C. managers
Portuguese expatriate sportspeople in Lithuania