The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has officially confirmed the appointment of seasoned Portuguese tactician Carlos Manuel Brito Leal de Queiroz as the new head coach of the senior national team, the Black Stars. The move brings an end to weeks of speculation and heralds a new chapter for the four-time Africa Cup of Nations champions.
Queiroz, 73, arrives in Ghana with a résumé that spans three decades, multiple continents, and collaborations with some of the most illustrious names in world football. His appointment is widely viewed as a strategic acquisition aimed at harnessing the vast potential of Ghana football and injecting a winning mentality ahead of the World Cup
Assistant Manager Glory at Manchester United
Queiroz first garnered global recognition during two transformative spells as Sir Alex Ferguson’s assistant manager at Manchester United. In this capacity, he was instrumental in orchestrating three Premier League titles (2002–03, 2006–07, 2007–08) and the club’s UEFA Champions League triumph in 2007–08. His tactical dexterity and flexible coaching methods were frequently cited by Ferguson as pivotal to the club’s European dominance during that era.
Shaping Golden Generations with Portugal
Prior to his club successes, Queiroz had already etched his name into football history as a youth development coach. As manager of the Portugal youth teams, he led the famed “Golden Generation” to consecutive FIFA World Youth Championship titles in 1989 and 1991, tournaments that introduced talents like Luís Figo and Rui Costa to the world stage. He also secured the UEFA European U-16 Championship in 1989 and a third-place finish at the FIFA U-17 World Cup the same year.
Domestic and International Management
Queiroz’s club management career includes a notable spell at Sporting CP, where he won the Taça de Portugal (1994–95) and the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira (1995), while also guiding the club to a runner-up finish in the Primeira Divisão.
In Japan, he led Nagoya Grampus to a J.League runner-up finish (1996) and the Asian Cup Winners’ Cup final (1996–97), claiming the Sanwa Bank Cup (1996) and Suntory Championship (1997) along the way.
His brief but impactful tenure at Real Madrid yielded the Supercopa de España in 2003, despite a narrow loss in the Copa del Rey final the following season. On the international stage, he guided the United Arab Emirates to a third-place finish at the 1998 Arabian Gulf Cup and most recently led Egypt to the final of the Africa Cup of Nations in 2021, where they finished as runners-up.
The South Africa 2002 Episode
One of the more intriguing entries in Queiroz’s portfolio remains his role in qualifying South Africa for the 2002 FIFA World Cup unbeaten. Despite successfully steering Bafana Bafana through the qualification campaign, he was controversially replaced by Jomo Sono just before the final tournament in Korea/Japan
A New Command in Ghana
Now, the veteran coach turns his focus to West Africa. Tasked with revitalizing the Black Stars following recent inconsistent performances, Queiroz brings a blend of tactical discipline, youth development expertise, and high-pressure experience.
His immediate objectives is to build a solid squad and be competitive at the 2026 World Cup to be hosted in North America.
Carlos Queiroz has coached some of the world’s finest talents, including Luís Figo, David Beckham, Ronaldo Nazário de Lima, Wayne Rooney, Carlos Tevez, Rio Ferdinand, Paul Scholes, Mohamed Salah etc. Given his wealth of experience at the highest level, there are high expectations that he can improve the current players of the Black Stars.
