Antônio Carlos Zago

Early career

Born in Presidente Prudente, São Paulo, also having Italian origins, Zago moved to Dourados, Mato Grosso do Sul as a teenager, and began his senior career with local side Ubiratan, as a forward and being known as Tonhão. In 1988, after finishing the Campeonato Sul-Mato-Grossense as a starter as Ubiratan finished in the second position, he agreed to join São Paulo, with five players moving in the opposite direction.

São Paulo

Upon arriving at São Paulo, Zago was known as Antônio Carlos, and was pushed back to midfielder by manager Cilinho. He was later moved further back to a libero by the reserves manager Pupo Gimenez, and made his first team debut on 25 April 1990 by starting in a 2–0 Campeonato Paulista away win over Portuguesa. After the arrival of Telê Santana as manager, Zago established himself as a regular starter, winning two Campeonato Paulistas (1991 and 1992), aside from lifting the 1991 Série A and the 1992 Copa Libertadores.

Albacete

In July 1992, Zago was transferred to La Liga side Albacete for a fee of US$ 1.650 million. However, after failing to adapt to a new country, he opted to leave in December.

Palmeiras

In December 1992, Zago was presented at Palmeiras, along with Roberto Carlos. A first-choice option, he won two consecutive Série A and two consecutive Campeonato Paulista titles with Verdão, both in 1993 and 1994.

Kashiwa Reysol

On 7 December 1995, Palmeiras agreed the transfer of Zago and…

Zago debuted with the Brazil national team on 30 October 1991, in a 3–1 win against Yugoslavia, and remained within the national squad until 1993. After a period of mixed success at club level, however, he has no longer called up to the national side; only after moving to Roma, did he manage return to the national team with his stand-out performances for the club. Between 1998 and 2001, he collected 26 caps for Brazil and scored two goals; he was also part of the squad that won the 1999 Copa América. In total, he made 37 appearances for Brazil between 1991 and 2001, scoring three goals.

Shortly after retiring, Zago returned to Corinthians as a technical director. He resigned from the role in March 2009, after controversies regarding the signing of Ronaldo.

São Caetano

On 2 June 2009, Zago was appointed manager of São Caetano in the Série B, replacing Sérgio Soares. He missed eight matches between September and October after serving a 45-day suspension, and renewed his contract for the following season on 8 November, as his side subsequently finished seventh. Zago's side started the 2010 Campeonato Paulista with two wins in three matches, and defeated his former side Palmeiras 4–1 at the Parque Antártica on 17 February. Two days later, he left the club after accepting an offer from Palmeiras.

Palmeiras

On 19 February 2010, Palmeiras announced Zago as their new manager. He made his debut at the club two days later, in a 2–0 home win over another side he represented as a player, São Paulo. However, Palmeiras ended the 2010 Paulista with five winless matches under Zago, and after an alleged fight with player Robert, he was dismissed on 18 May.

Local teams and assistant periods

After leaving Palmeiras, Zago took over fellow top tier side Grêmio Prudente on 17 August 2010. On 10 September, after only one win in six matches and with the club in the relegation zone, he was sacked. On 3 January 2011, Zago was named manager of Mogi Mirim, but left on 9 February to manage Vila Nova. He was dismissed by the latter on 25 March, after just…

Club

International

Managerial statistics

As of 11 May 2025