Rodrigo Sebastián Sampaoli: a detailed look at his Flamengo tenure and career arc
The Casilda-born manager, who has worked under the Rubro-Negro banner, steered Flamengo through two league appearances, securing one win and one defeat in those early outings.
On April 14, Flamengo announced Jorge Sampaoli as the club’s new head coach, stepping in to replace Vedtor Pereira, who was dismissed after delivering a 57.4 percent performance rating — the worst mark the club had seen since 2019. The change marked a turning point for Flamengo, as the team sought to recapture the titles that had eluded them under predecessors such as Renato Gaucho, Paulo Sousa, and Domenec Torrent.
Sampaoli’s career path is well established. In 2015 he led Chile to its first Copa América title, a historic triumph for the nation. A year earlier he had steered Chile at the 2014 World Cup, where his side came close to eliminating the host nation Brazil. His initial trophies, however, came with Ecuadorian clubs.
Earlier chapters saw him coach teams like Argentino de Rosario in the Metropolitan Primera B, Juan Aurich, Sport Boys, Coronel Bolognesi, Sporting Cristal, and O’Higgins, culminating in victory in the 2010 Pacific Cup with Emelec.
In Peru he would later join the national stage with a stint that led to several appearances in the First Division, along with successes in the Copa Chile and the 2011 South American Cup, marking a productive period with the blue team during what some describe as its strongest decade.
His next destination took him to Seville, where he took over the Argentina national team duties a year later and guided the team to the knockout stage of the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Nervionense clubs managed a total of 84 matches under his guidance, yielding 40 victories, 18 draws, and 26 losses. His teams scored 141 goals and conceded 109 in that era.
From there he moved to Brazilian football, taking charge at Santos and Atlético Mineiro. Across those stints he oversaw 109 matches, recording 61 wins, 23 draws, and 25 defeats, with a goal tally of 182 for and 104 against. His side achieved a 63 percent points return, and qualified for major continental competitions in 2020 and 2021. With Atlético Mineiro he also claimed the state league title in the 2020 edition.
February 2021 brought a return to Europe with Olympique de Marseille before rejoining the Peruvians in a managerial capacity. During his brief period with Marseille, the team finished second in Ligue 1 and earned a spot in the UEFA Champions League. He left Marseille after 67 matches, having recorded 36 wins, 17 draws and 14 defeats, with 113 goals scored and 73 conceded for the Costa Azul club.
As Flamengo’s coach, Sampaoli marked a notable debut by defeating Ñublense 2-0 in a major continental competition. In Brazil, his first league match ended in a 2-1 loss to Inter de Porto Alegre. The current campaign sees Flamengo aiming to advance in the Brazil Cup, facing Maringá FC, who hold a first-leg advantage after a 2-0 win in the opening leg. Sampaoli stands as the second Argentinian to lead Flamengo, following Armando Renganeschi who won the Carioca Championship in 1965, and he is among the foreign coaches with the most games for Flamengo, trailing only Fleitas Solich, who had 276 appearances.
In review, Flamengo supporters can look at Sampaoli’s numbers on the Flamengo bench as part of an ongoing evaluation of his impact and performance with the club.
(Source: Goal)