Muricy Ramalho

Muricy Ramalho

Personal information
Date of birth	(1955-11-30) November 30, 1955
Place of birth	São Paulo, Brazil
Position(s)	Attacking midfielder
Team information
Current team	Flamengo
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1973–1979	São Paulo	48	(6)
1979–1985	Puebla	149	(57)
1984	→ America (loan)
Managerial career
1993	Puebla
1994–1996	São Paulo (Youth)
1997	Guarani
1998	Shanghai Shenhua
1999	Ituano
1999	Botafogo-SP
2000	Portuguesa Santista
2001	Santa Cruz
2001–2002	Náutico
2002	Figueirense
2002–2003	Internacional
2004	São Caetano
2004–2006	Internacional
2006–2009	São Paulo
2009–2010	Palmeiras
2010–2011	Fluminense
2011–2013	Santos
2013–2015	São Paulo
2016–	Flamengo
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Muricy Ramalho (born November 30, 1955) is a Brazilian head coach and former football player born in São Paulo. On July 23, 2010, it was reported that he had been offered the post of the coach of the Brazilian national football team, replacing the sacked Dunga. However, his team at the time, Fluminense, refused to release him for the job. Between 2006 and 2008, he led São Paulo to three consecutive national championships. In 2010, he also led Fluminense to the title. Ramalho is also known by his paulistano accent, usually speaking expressions from this dialect.

He is currently the manager of Flamengo from Rio de Janeiro.

Playing career

During his playing career, in the 1970s, Ramalho was a midfielder at São Paulo. Between 1973 and 1978, he played 177 games for the club, scoring 26 goals. Later in his career, he played in Mexico, being almost unknown in Brazil during that time. He was not called up for the 1978 World Cup due to a knee injury. After retiring, he started his career as a head coach.

Head coaching career

Ramalho started his head coaching career as the head coach of Mexican club Puebla. He managed several clubs, including São Paulo and Internacional.

"Expressinho"

He was the São Paulo youth squad head coach between 1994 and 1996. He was the manager of the São Paulo team that won the Copa CONMEBOL in 1994. That team was formed from reserve and youth players, receiving the nickname Expressinho. Despite the technical limitations of the team, São Paulo won the cup, defeating Peñarol of Uruguay in the final. Players such as Denílson and Rogério Ceni were discovered by Ramalho during the competition.

2006-2009

After working for Internacional, including taking them to runners up in the Campeonato Brasileiro de 2005, on January 3, 2006, ten years later he came back to São Paulo and signed a one-year contract. He was the head coach of São Paulo for three years, winning the Série A three times in a row. His methods and the playing style of his team did not win universal admiration, however. After being eliminated from the Libertadores Cup in 2009 to Cruzeiro, his fourth consecutive elimination from the tournament, the board fired him.

2009

After almost a month of negotiations, Ramalho stated his desire to direct the team of Palmeiras, signing a contract on July 22, 2009.

2010

After six months as Palmeiras' head coach, he was fired on February 18, after a defeat against São Caetano by 1-4. On April 25, Ramalho was announced as the new head coach of Fluminense, his second time working in Rio de Janeiro. On July 23, he was appointed as the head coach of Brazil, but he was not released by the Rio de Janeiro-based team, so he was replaced by Mano Menezes.

By the end of the season, Ramalho has led Fluminense to its third national championship, after 1970 and 1984.

2011

On April 6, 2011, it was announced that Ramalho would take charge of Santos until the end of the 2011 season. He led Santos to the 2011 Campeonato Paulista title and later to the Copa Libertadores title. Ramalho renewed his contract until December 2013.

2013

After losing the State Championship , and having Neymar sold to FC Barcelona, Ramalho, on May 31, was dismissed by club. The intention of Santos was to start a reformulation. Ramalho signed on April 2011, and, since then, he won two State Championships, one Recopa Sudamericana, and the most important, 2011 Copa Libertadores, when Santos beaten the Uruguayan Peñarol in the final.

Return to São Paulo

On September 9, 2013, after losing for Coritiba by 2-0, game that kept São Paulo in relegation zone of Série A, directors of club sacked Paulo Autuori and signed with Ramalho. In official site of Tricolor, a report praises Paulo Autuori's work and welcomes the new coach, that won three Brazilian Leagues working for club. He was presented on September 10, 2013, praised by João Paulo de Jesus Lopes, vice-president of football of São Paulo. According to the coach: "We are on a phase that we cannot stay talking to players. We must have to get the victories. Each one has his own way to work. Let's keep our problems outside." He officially backs to coach the club on the victory of the club against Ponte Preta by 1-0. In this game, fans of São Paulo who were at Morumbi Stadium shouted "É, Muricy" ("Yeah, Muricy"), showing the satisfaction by Ramalho's return.

On November 2, 2013, in an interview for Brazilian newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo, Ramalho affirmed the following words:

Winning here is always good and important anywhere, but, of course, for São Paulo it is a very different thing because I was born here, and when you have a history and win again, this history goes on and gets new chapters. In Brazil for a coach is fundamental to win, independent of the affection the supporters have for you, and São Paulo is the biggest club in Brazil and the most successful one and the fans got used to victories therefore we always have to win. But, of course, winning for São Paulo is special for me.

Muricy Ramalho, exalting his return for São Paulo FC

On December 7, 2013, Ramalho, after a very successful first year ahead of the club, renewed his contract with São Paulo FC for two more seasons. According him: "I am happy to stay, because here is my home and the affection the supporters show for me motivates me even further. I am very happy for we have had an excellent year."

On 6 April 2015, Ramalho stepped down as coach of Brazilian side Sao Paulo due to illness. He was hospitalized in January with a digestive disease.

Controversies

In December 2011, Ramalho, before the final of 2011 FIFA Club World Cup, where Santos, his club, faced Barcelona, and lost for 4-0, praised Josep Guardiola's work, however stated that it was simple for him since he had the funding to choose any player in the world. Ramalho said that European coaches would only score top marks in his book once they had the same success but coaching a Brazilian side. "Only when they win trophies here (Brazil) they will be the best coaches in the world." He was referring to the lack of funding, lack of good players (all in Europe) and the evergrowing pressure to perform.

In February 2013, the media said Muricy Ramalho was in a verbal exchange with Neymar and Joey Barton. The latter had been little impressed by Neymar's performances at a friendly match in London and stated: "I would not pay a lot of money to sign him". After journalists' insistence, Ramalho responded that he meant no disrespect but he didn't know who that person was.

In May 2013, Ramalho spoke about a fake profile on the social network Facebook that has a lot of friends. According to the coach, the creator of profile "must be an idiot, that doesn't have anything to do. He should do something for himself, not for someone else.

In July 2013, two months after leaving Santos, Ramalho said that if he was to work in Europe he would have been given a 30 year-contract and would have a statue dedicated to him afterwards because if "Wenger can coach Arsenal for almost 15 years having had so little success "

In this same month, in a new interview, Ramalho spoke about players with he worked. According to the coach, Müller (Luís Antônio Corrêa da Costa), current pundit, was a "difficult player, it was complicated. It was really very hard. He was a excellent player, but ain't easy to work with him". On Breno he said "He thought he was Beckembauer"

Ramalho also is known for his roughness and lack of pacience with bad journalists and those who work to create a controversy where there isn't one.

On April 2014, Ramalho was praised by one journalist in reference to his past as a football player. Ramalho said he was 10 times better than the present players of São Paulo FC. To this day fans bring flags with his face and name to Estádio do Morumbi. "I played at least ten times better. But they haven't seen it, and I don't talk about it because it is a thing from the past. In this team, I would pick up my number 8 jersey and the coach would only have to think about the other players"

Career statistics

Head coach

Nation	Team	From	To	Record
				P	W	D	L	Win %
	São Paulo	1994	1997	108	55	33	20	50.93
	São Paulo	2006	2009	252	139	67	46	55.16
	Palmeiras	2009	2010	34	13	11	10	38.24
	Fluminense	2010	2011	54	28	15	11	51.85
	Santos	2011	2013	150	72	42	36	48.00
Total				598	307	168	123	52.54

As of May 31, 2013

Head coaching honors

São Paulo

• Copa CONMEBOL: 1994
• Copa Masters CONMEBOL: 1996
• Campeonato Brasileiro Série A: 2006, 2007, 2008

Shanghai Shenhua

• Cup of China: 1998

Náutico

• Campeonato Pernambucano: 2001, 2002

Internacional

• Campeonato Gaúcho: 2003, 2005

São Caetano

• Campeonato Paulista: 2004

Fluminense

• Campeonato Brasileiro Série A: 2010

Santos

• Campeonato Paulista: 2011, 2012
• Copa Libertadores: 2011
• Recopa Sudamericana: 2012