Coaching one football club is usually considered a full-on and demanding job but Marcelinho Paraiba will be dealing with double the stress after being appointed as coach of two Brazilian sides — Carioca A2 side Americano-RJ and Nacional de Patos — within 24 hours over the weekend.
The unusual move caused a stir on Brazilian social media, with people wondering if it was a mistake.
However, both announcements were legitimate. Nacional de Patos are in the final stretch of the first phase of the Paraibano championship in the northeastern state of Brazil and are fighting to avoid relegation.
Marcelinho’s time with them will theoretically last until Feb. 22, only for three matches, while Americano’s preseason starts in mid-March as they prepare for the Carioca A2, a state tournament in São Paulo that kicks off in May.
“I am here to tell you how happy I am to be in charge of Americano in the Carioca Second Division in 2025. We’re going in search of our goal to access the elite of Carioca football,” Marcelinho said in a video on his Instagram account and later posted the Nacional de Patos announcement.
Marcelinho, 49, began his coaching career in 2021 and has been in charge of Treze, Perilima, Sport-PB, Oeirense-PI, Serra Branca and Baraunas-RN. As a former player, he enjoyed spells with São Paulo, Hertha Berlin, Wolfsburg, Gremio and Flamengo. He was also called up to the Brazil national team.
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