Filipe Luis, the former left-back for clubs such as Atlético de Madrid and Chelsea, has been introduced as the new head coach of Flamengo. This announcement came a day after the club initially named him as an interim coach.

During the press conference, Flamengo's executives clarified that Filipe Luis will not serve as an interim coach, as previously stated, but rather as the permanent coach with a long-term contract. "Filipe Luis has signed a contract to be Flamengo's head coach until December 2025. The interim announcement was my mistake," said Flamengo’s vice president, Marcos Braz, dismissing any notions of searching for another coach.

The former left-back takes over from former Brazil national coach Tite, who was dismissed due to mediocre results, particularly following Flamengo’s recent Copa Libertadores quarter-final elimination by Uruguay’s Peñarol. Luis’ rapid rise in coaching follows his retirement as a player last December. He began his coaching career this year, starting with Flamengo’s under-17 team in January and moving to the under-20s in July.

Even before retiring as a player, Filipe Luis was prepping for a coaching career. He trained at the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) academy in April 2022 and received his professional license in May of this year. "I'm happy to take on a challenge that might seem significant due to the immense pressure, but it's a privilege for me as it allows me to lead the best team in the Americas currently," Filipe Luis stated at the press conference.

He acknowledged that transitioning from teammate to coach of his recent peers comes with pros and cons. "The advantage is that I know this group better than anyone, recognizing the leaders and inner workings since I was part of it for five years," he explained, noting he wasn’t teammates with a few recent signings like Nico de la Cruz, Carlos Alcaraz, and Gonzalo Plata.

Regarding the challenges, he admitted there will be tough decisions that might upset some former teammates and urged them to separate "Filipe Luis the coach" from "Filipe Luis the person." Filipe Luis began his playing career at Figueirense and had stints with Deportivo La Coruña, Atlético de Madrid, and Chelsea before joining Flamengo in 2019.

At Atlético de Madrid, he won two UEFA Europa League titles, a Spanish La Liga title, a Copa del Rey, and a UEFA Super Cup. During his four-year tenure with Flamengo, he secured two Brazilian league titles, two Copa Libertadores titles, a Copa do Brasil, and a Recopa Sudamericana. As part of the Brazilian national team from 2009 to 2019, he played 44 matches, winning the 2013 Confederations Cup and the 2019 Copa América.