Fernando Santos: Teams coached, age, stats, salary, net worth, achievements

Fernando Santos: Teams coached, age, stats, salary, net worth, achievements

Babu Tendu
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:17 PM

Fernando Santos is a retired Portuguese footballer who is currently the manager of the Portugal national team. During his 14-year playing career, the former defender scored three goals while appearing in 182 games. Learn all about Fernando Santo' achievements, teams coached, age, salary, and much more.

Fernando Santos's profile photo
Portugal's head coach Fernando Santos poses for a photo in Budapest, Hungary. Photo by Alex Livesey. (Modified by author).
Source: Getty Images

Initially, he was the coach of the Greece national team; Santos signed as the new manager of the Portugal national team and helped the team win UEFA Euro 2016. He has been very helpful and important to the football teams he has coached. As the head coach of Portugal, he hopes to win the FIFA 2022 World Cup.

Profile summary

Name

Fernando Manuel Fernandes da Costa Santos

Popular name

Fernando Santos

Father

Francisco Santos

Wife

Guilhermina Santos

Age

68 (as of November 2022)

Birthplace

Lisboa, Portugal

Birthdate

October 10, 1954

Zodiac sign

Libra

Height

1.75 metres

Weight

66 kg

Nationality

Portugal

Previous coaching

Greece national team

Current coaching

Portugal national team

Joined

September 23, 2014

Net worth

$5- $10 million

Salary

$2.61 million

Fernando Santos' biography and early life

Coach Fernando Santos was born in Lisbon, Portugal, on October 10, 1954. His father's name is Franciso, but his mother's identity is unknown. He began his football career with Operario Lisboa before joining the S.L. Benfica at the age of 16 and played from 1971 to 1973. Later, his performances earned him a contract with Estoril Praia, where he made his senior debut in 1973.

On September 7, 1975, he made his Primeira Liga debut, playing the full 90 minutes in a 2-0 home win over Farense. He had more than twelve appearances in his first season, helping his team to finish eighth in the league. The former player scored his first goals in the topflight in 1978-1979, missing only one league game on his journey to an 11th-place finish.

In 1979-1980, he joined Maritimo, where he was also a regular starter. After making a return to his previous club, for the next eight years, he enjoyed regular starts before retiring at 33.

Teams coached by Fernando Santos

After his retirement as a footballer, he began working as a manager. He assisted Estoril's return to the top flight in 1991. He spent 10 years working exclusively in that competition, overseeing Estrela da Amadora (from November 22, 1994 – June 30, 1998) and Porto (1998 – 2001). In his first year in Porto, he won both the Portuguese Supercup and the national title.

Then he joined AEK Athens in the Super League Greece in 2001, winning the domestic cup but losing the league. He later joined Panathinaikos for only four months and returned to Sporting CP, where he managed them for only a season.

Teams coached by Fernando Santos
Portugal's head coach Fernando Santos, Cristiano Ronaldo, with the squad and staff, celebrate winning the UEFA Nations League Final Trophy in 2019. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos).
Source: Getty Images

The former player was back to coaching AEK from 2004 - 2006. He led them to three consecutive top-three finishes during his term and was named Manager of the Year in 2005. He joined the former youth club Benfica on May 20 2006. He was fired on August 20 2007, and replaced by José Antonio Camacho.

Fernando Santos training with Portugal
Portugal's head coach Fernando Santos (C) looks on during a training session at Cidade do Futebol on November 12, 2019. Photo by Pedro Fiúza.
Source: Getty Images

The former player had a three-year contract with PAOK Salonika and later decided to leave the job as he was appointed the Greece National Team head coach, where he served from 2010 to 2014. He qualified the country for the UEFA Euro 2012 tournament during his tenure with Greece, where they advanced to the last eight.

The experienced coach was appointed Portugal's new manager on September 23, 2014, after Paulo Bento was fired due to poor results. His first game in charge was a 1-0 win in Denmark for the Euro 2016 qualifiers on October 14, and the team went on to reach the finals in France.

He contributed to the team's nine wins in 10 games in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Cristiano Ronaldo, Pepe, Bruno Fernandes, and Bernardo Silva are some of Portugal's national team members.

Fernando Santos' age

As of November, the well-known Portugal coach is 68 years of age as he was born on October 10 1954. At such an age, Santos has been able to train many legends of football with likes of Pepe and Cristiano Ronaldo as some of the players he has coached at the national level as a coach of Portugal.

Fernando Santos' age
Portugal Head Coach Fernando Santos during a UEFA Nations League match at Stade de Geneve on June 12, 2022, in Geneva, Switzerland. Photo by Marcio Machado.
Source: Getty Images

Fernando Santos' salary

Portugal’s manager currently earns $2 million annually, ranking twelfth among FIFA World Cup national team coaches in terms of salary benefits. The list is topped by German National Team coach Hansi Flick, who earns $4 million annually.

Fernando Santos' net worth

His net worth is still unknown as of 2022, but he is estimated to be worth millions of dollars. He keeps his life private, and there's no information on how many houses or cars he has, leading people to only estimate his net worth.

Fernando Santos, Portugal's team head coach

In 2020, Santos extended his contract to 2024 as Portugal's head coach. As a result, the 68-year-old will lead his team in their defence of the European Championship and the Nations League, two trophies won under his term, making him Portugal's most successful coach ever.

Portugal's head coach - Fernando Santos
Fernando Santos, Head Coach of Portugal, poses for photos during the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar Final Draw at Doha Exhibition Center on April 1, 2022, in Doha, Qatar. Photo by Marcio Machado.
Source: Getty Images

What teams did Fernando Santos play for?

The former player began his career with Operario Lisboa before joining the S.L. Benfica youth system at 16 and playing for the club from 1971 to 1973. His performances later earned him a contract with G.D. Estoril Praia, where he made his senior debut in 1973. He made his Primeira Liga debut on September 7, 1975, finishing his rookie season with 12 more appearances, helping his team finish eighth.

Fernando Santos and Cristiano Ronaldo

Portugal's coach insists his relationship with Manchester United striker Cristiano Ronaldo is still solid.

Ronaldo with coach Santos
Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal and Fernando Santos, Head Coach of Portugal, at Estadio Benito Villamarin on June 2nd, 2022, in Seville, Spain. Photo by Angel Martinez.
Source: Getty Images

There were reports of the pair arguing at the end of Portugal's World Cup qualifying loss to Serbia earlier this week. This has since been debunked, with Ronaldo claiming he was denied a goal against the Serbs.

Santos stated that "We have complete trust." Total trust both before and after.

Fernando Santos' relationship with Benfica

As a coach, Fernando joined the former youth club Benfica on May 20 2006. He was fired on August 20 2007 and replaced by José Antonio Camacho because the captain and top scorer Simo Sabrosa moved to Atlético Madrid during pre-season.

Fernando Santos' latest news

Fernando Santos named an interesting World Cup team that is representing Portugal in Qatar. The squad has the oldest players like Ronaldo and Pepe, yet it accommodates young talents like Antonio Silva and Goncalo Ramos from Benfica. The team's depth is dynamic, and many believe they will perform well.

Many of the teams coached by Fernando Santos have won trophies, making him outstanding. Fernando Santos has achieved a lot, and his stats on the teams he has coached at his age show how hardworking he is, and Portugal fans will be expecting their team to do well in Qatar under him.

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