Nuno Espírito Santo

Born in São Tomé and Príncipe, Espírito Santo moved to Portugal at a young age and holds dual Portuguese and Santomean citizenship. He represented Portugal at the 1996 Summer Olympics, playing four matches for the fourth-placed team. He also played for the nation's B team. Uncapped, he was called to the senior squad competing in UEFA Euro 2008, replacing the injured Quim, but did not play a match.

Beginnings

On 21 June 2010, Porto announced that Espírito Santo's contract would not be renewed. The 36-year-old said he would always support Porto as he left. After his retirement, he rejoined former Porto manager Jesualdo Ferreira, moving to Málaga as a goalkeeping coach, before the pair signed for Panathinaikos in November.

Rio Ave

In May 2012, Rio Ave dismissed manager Carlos Brito and announced the appointment of Espírito Santo. In his first match in charge on 18 August, the team lost 1–0 at home to Marítimo in the first game of the 2012–13 Primeira Liga season. He recorded his first win nine days later, by the same margin away to Sporting CP. In his second season in charge, Espírito Santo's team reached both the Taça de Portugal and Taça da Liga finals, therefore leading them to the UEFA Europa League for the first time in their history.

Valencia

Espírito Santo signed a one-year contract with Valencia in La Liga on 4 July 2014, replacing Juan Antonio Pizzi. On 12 January 2015, he agreed to an extension to keep him at the club until 2018, and he eventually led them to a fourth place finish in his first season, Highlights included a 2–1 home win over Real Madrid and a 2–2 away draw against the same opponent, while he was named La Liga Manager of the Month three times. He resigned on 29 November 2015, following a 1–0 away defeat to Sevilla, after a poor start to both Valencia's La Liga and Champions League campaigns. During his time at…

Early career / Deportivo

Espírito Santo was born in São Tomé, Portuguese São Tomé and Príncipe, before moving to Portugal at the age of 8. He started his football career with Vitória Guimarães. After a meeting with the then Porto nightclub owner Jorge Mendes, Espírito Santo became the agent's first client in 1996. Mendes brokered a $1 million transfer the following January to La Liga's Deportivo La Coruña, although Espírito Santo spent three of his six seasons at the club out on loan, backing up Jacques Songo'o (1996–1998) and José Francisco Molina (2001–02) when he was part of the team. He was the preferred goalkeeper for the winning campaign in the Copa del Rey in the latter season, although Javier Irureta played Molina in the final victory over Real Madrid. In 1999–2000, as he represented Mérida in the Segunda División, Espírito Santo won the Ricardo Zamora Trophy and helped the team finish sixth, but the club would be relegated to Segunda División B due to irregularities. He was loaned to Osasuna the following season, going on to rank seventh in the Zamora as his team finished only one point above the relegation zone in the top tier.

Porto

José Mourinho's Porto paid €3 million to sign Espírito Santo in July 2002, as a part of the deal that saw Jorge Andrade join Deportivo. During a 2003 Taça de Portugal match against Varzim, he was allowed by Mourinho to convert a penalty kick, scoring the club's last goal in a 7–0 home win. In May 2004, Espírito Santo…

Espírito Santo and his wife Sandra have three children as of 2020. On 4 May 2019, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Sport by the University of Wolverhampton.