⚠️ Jorge Sampaoli returns to Brazilian football

After the well-advanced agreement with Martín Anselmi fell through, Atlético Mineiro went after an old acquaintance: Jorge Sampaoli.

And secured the return of the 65-year-old Argentine coach to Brazilian football.

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The announcement of the signing took place on the night of this Tuesday (2).

Sampaoli had been a free agent since January 30 of this year.

He signed a contract until December 2027.

His first stint at Atlético began on March 1, 2020.

He arrived after the dismissal of Rafael Dudamel and early exits from the Copa Sudamericana and Copa do Brasil.

Galo would go on to win the Campeonato Mineiro and have a great campaign in the Brasileirão during the season marked by the Covid-19 pandemic.

They were only outside the top five for one round and led the league on seven occasions. They finished third, securing a spot in the 2021 Libertadores.

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The expectation was for the Argentine to continue, but he left on February 22 after receiving an offer from Olympique de Marseille, just before the final round of the 2020 Brasileirão.

Santos tried...

The first club Sampaoli worked for in Brazil was Santos.

He arrived for the 2019 season, leading Peixe to a runner-up finish in the Brasileirão. He left by resigning and later sued for unpaid wages.

Peixe tried to bring him back before closing with Vojvoda, but felt the demands made by the coach were "absurd."

Sampaoli, for his part, said it would be "irresponsible" to take over Santos without the reinforcements he had in mind.

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He also had a stint with Flamengo in 2023.

Which ended after finishing runners-up in the Copa do Brasil and with a total of 39 matches.

His last club was Rennes, in France, between November 2024 and January 2025.

Galo's schedule 📅

Atlético is currently 14th in the Brasileirão, with 24 points.

They are on a four-game winless streak.

Vitória, with 22 points, is the first team in the relegation zone.

They will play again on the 14th, when they host Santos.

Before that, Galo will visit their biggest rival for the second leg of the Copa do Brasil quarterfinals.

The first leg saw a 2-0 win for the Celeste at Arena MRV.

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In the same stage of the Copa Sudamericana, Atlético will face Bolívar on the 17th and 24th. The decider will be in BH.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.

📸 MARCELLO ZAMBRANA

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