Dorival Silvestre Júnior (Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation:; born 25 April 1962) is a Brazilian professional football coach and former player. He is the current head coach of São Paulo.
A defensive midfielder, Júnior notably played for Palmeiras. After retiring, he began his coaching career in 2002 with Ferroviária, but only gained national notoriety in 2010 when coaching Neymar's Santos. He later led Flamengo to a 2022 Copa Libertadores win and São Paulo to their first-ever Copa do Brasil title in 2023, before being named head coach of the Brazil national team in January 2024.
Playing career
Known only as Júnior during his playing days, he was born in Araraquara, São Paulo, and made his debuts as a senior with hometown's Ferroviária in 1982. Two years later, after a brief stint at Marília (club he also represented in the youth setup), he moved to Guarani.
In 1985, Júnior began playing in the state of Santa Catarina, first for Avaí and later for Joinville. In 1988, he went back to his native state, representing São José, but during the same year he moved to Coritiba.
In 1989 Júnior joined Palmeiras, remaining with the club until 1992. In the following year he was sold to Grêmio, and subsequently joined Juventude in 1994.
Júnior had subsequent spells at Araçatuba, Matonense and Botafogo-SP, retiring with the latter.
Coaching career
Early career
After retiring, Júnior immediately started working as an assistant of Luiz Carlos Ferreira at Matonense in 1999. He followed Ferreirão to the likes of Inter de Limeira, Atlético Sorocaba, Guarani, Paulista and Santo André, always as his assistant.
Ferroviária
In April 2002, while an assistant coach at Figueirense, Júnior was named head coach of his first club Ferroviária. He left in May of that year to return to Figueirense, as a director of football.
Figueirense
In September 2003, Júnior was named head coach of Figueira in the place of Ferreira. He won the 2004 Campeonato Catarinense with the side, but was sacked on 20 December of that year.
Fortaleza
Three days after leaving Figueirense, Júnior was appointed Fortaleza head coach, replacing Zetti. He was dismissed on 30 March, after a 2–2 draw against rivals Ceará.
Criciúma and Juventude
In May 2005, Júnior took over Criciúma, but left the club on 8 July after accepting an offer from Juventude. He was dismissed from the latter on 29 July, after just four matches.
Sport Recife
On 8 November 2005, Júnior agreed to become Sport Recife's head coach for the upcoming season. He won the 2006 Campeonato Pernambucano, but was relieved from his duties on 15 August, being subsequently replaced by Givanildo Oliveira.
Avaí and São Caetano
On 6 September 2006, Júnior was appointed Avaí head coach. He left the club on 17 October to take over São Caetano, but was unable to avoid relegation from the top tier.
Cruzeiro
On 8 May 2007, after impressing with the Azulão during that year's Campeonato Paulista, when the club reached the finals, Júnior was named Cruzeiro head coach. On 3 December, despite finishing fifth, he was fired.
Coritiba
On 4 January 2008, Júnior was presented as head coach of another club he represented as a player, Coritiba. On 13 November, he announced he would depart the club at the end of the campaign.
Vasco da Gama
After not renewing contract with Coxa, Júnior was appointed at the helm of Vasco da Gama on 12 December 2008. He led the club to a promotion from the 2009 Série B, but still announced his departure on 27 November 2009, after failing to agree new terms.
Santos
On 5 December 2009, Júnior was named head coach of Santos. He led the club to the 2010 Campeonato Paulista and 2010 Copa do Brasil titles (with an historical 10–0 win over Naviraiense in the latter tournament) with an extremely offensive football, with Neymar, Paulo Henrique Ganso and Robinho as its key units.
Altercation with Neymar and dismissal
On 15 September 2010, Júnior had an altercation with Neymar during a 4–2 home win over Atlético Goianiense; after suffering a penalty, Neymar demanded to take the spot kick, but was told by Júnior that Marcel was the one who would take it. Despite Marcel's goal, the discussion between the player and the coach remained, with Neymar later refusing to pass the ball to Marcel in the match.
On 21 September 2010, it was reported that Júnior would keep Neymar out of the upcoming match against Corinthians as a punishment for his indiscipline actions. Just hours later, however, he was dismissed.
Atlético Mineiro
On 25 September 2010, just four days after leaving Santos, Júnior took over Atlético Mineiro, replacing Vanderlei Luxemburgo. He managed to avoid relegation with the club, but was sacked the following 7 August, after being knocked out of the 2011 Copa do Brasil and losing the 2011 Campeonato Mineiro.
Internacional
On 12 August 2011, Júnior was named at the helm of Internacional. He won the 2012 Campeonato Gaúcho, and despite struggling with the absence of key players Oscar and Leandro Damião to the 2012 Summer Olympics, he was dismissed on 20 July 2012.
Flamengo
Five days after leaving Inter, Júnior took over Flamengo. He signed a contract until the end of 2013. On 16 March 2013, he left the club after rejecting a wage cut.
Vasco da Gama return
On 10 July 2013, Júnior agreed to return to Vasco. He was sacked on 28 October, with the club in the relegation zone.
Fluminense
On 11 November 2013, Júnior was appointed head coach of Fluminense. With the club in the relegation zone, he avoided the drop due to Portuguesa's irregular lineup of Héverton.
On 10 December 2013, Júnior left Flu.
Palmeiras
On 3 September 2014, Júnior agreed to become Palmeiras' head coach, with a contract until the end of the year. He narrowly avoided relegation with the club, and was sacked on 8 December.
Santos return
Júnior returned to Santos on 9 July 2015, replacing Marcelo Fernandes. In his first year, he took the club out of the relegation zone to finish seventh, while also reaching the finals of the 2015 Copa do Brasil.
Júnior led Peixe to the second position in the 2016 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, aside from winning the 2016 Campeonato Paulista. On 4 June 2017, after a 1–0 away defeat to rivals Corinthians and with the club in a poor form overall (only three points out of twelve), he was sacked.
São Paulo
On 5 July 2017, Júnior took over São Paulo, signing a contract until the end of 2018. He was sacked the following 9 March, after a defeat to rivals Palmeiras.
Flamengo return
Júnior returned to Flamengo on 28 September 2018, for the remaining 12 matches of the season. He left in December, after his contract expired.
Athletico Paranaense
On 27 December 2019, Júnior was appointed head coach of fellow top tier side Athletico Paranaense. The following 28 August, he was dismissed by the club after suffering four consecutive defeats, despite him being sidelined in three of those defeats after testing positive for COVID-19.
Ceará
On 28 March 2022, after more than one year without coaching, Júnior took over Ceará also in the top tier. He led the club to six straight wins in the 2022 Copa Sudamericana group stage, becoming the first club to do so.
Third spell at Flamengo
On 10 June 2022, Júnior left Ceará to return to Flamengo, replacing sacked Paulo Sousa. He led the side to the Copa do Brasil and Copa Libertadores titles, but left on 25 November, after not renewing his contract.
São Paulo return
On 20 April 2023, Júnior returned to São Paulo, replacing sacked Rogério Ceni. He helped the club to win their first-ever Copa do Brasil, after a 2–1 aggregate win over former side Flamengo.
On 7 January 2024, São Paulo released an official note stating that Júnior had left the club to take over the Brazil national team.
Brazil national team
On 10 January 2024, the Brazilian Football Confederation confirmed Júnior as head coach of the Brazil national team. On 28 March 2025, he was sacked from the role. The decision was announced three days after Brazil suffered a 4–1 defeat to Argentina, the joint-record for Brazil's largest losing margin in the history of the World Cup qualifiers (tied with a 3–0 defeat to Chile in 2000). Júnior was in charge of the Seleção for sixteen matches, with seven wins, seven draws and two defeats.
Corinthians
On 28 April 2025, Júnior was announced as head coach of Corinthians, signing a contract until December 2026. He led the club to the 2025 Copa do Brasil – his fourth individual win in the competition – and the 2026 Supercopa do Brasil titles, respectively defeating Vasco da Gama and Flamengo. On 5 April 2026, Júnior was fired from Timão after a run of eight winless matches.
Third spell at São Paulo
On 15 May 2026, Júnior returned to São Paulo for a third spell, signing a contract until the end of the year.
Personal life
Júnior is the nephew of the former Brazilian player Dudu. His son, Lucas Silvestre, is also his assistant since 2010.
In September 2019, Júnior was diagnosed with prostate cancer, which he had removed in the following month.
Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | State League | Cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Guarani | 1984 | Série B | 11 | 0 | 23 | 0 | — | — | 7 | 0 | 41 | 0 | ||
| 1985 | Série A | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 3 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 14 | 0 | 23 | 0 | — | — | 7 | 0 | 44 | 0 | ||||
| São José-SP | 1988 | Paulista | — | 23 | 1 | — | — | — | 23 | 1 | ||||
| Coritiba | 1988 | Série A | 23 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 23 | 0 | ||||
| Palmeiras | 1989 | Série A | 16 | 0 | 23 | 2 | — | — | — | 39 | 2 | |||
| 1990 | 16 | 0 | 27 | 0 | — | — | — | 43 | 0 | |||||
| 1991 | 13 | 0 | 20 | 1 | — | — | — | 33 | 1 | |||||
| 1992 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 12 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 46 | 0 | 78 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 127 | 4 | ||||
| Grêmio | 1993 | Série A | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 18 | 1 | |
| Juventude | 1994 | Série B | 18 | 2 | 34 | 2 | — | — | — | 52 | 4 | |||
| 1995 | Série A | 12 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 44 | 0 | |||
| Total | 30 | 2 | 62 | 2 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 96 | 4 | ||||
| Career total | 120 | 2 | 188 | 6 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 331 | 9 | ||
Coaching statistics
- As of 2 October 2026
| Team | From | To | Record | Ref | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | ||||
| Ferroviária | April 2002 | May 2002 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 13 | 16 | −3 | 25.00 | |
| Figueirense | 25 September 2003 | 20 December 2004 | 81 | 31 | 23 | 27 | 116 | 98 | +18 | 38.27 | |
| Fortaleza | 23 December 2004 | 30 March 2005 | 25 | 13 | 8 | 4 | 45 | 28 | +17 | 52.00 | |
| Criciúma | 26 May 2005 | 6 July 2005 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 13 | −2 | 42.86 | |
| Juventude | 10 July 2005 | 29 July 2005 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 14 | −7 | 25.00 | |
| Sport Recife | 8 November 2005 | 15 August 2006 | 36 | 18 | 10 | 8 | 59 | 35 | +24 | 50.00 | |
| Avaí | 6 September 2006 | 17 October 2006 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 12 | 15 | −3 | 33.33 | |
| São Caetano | 17 October 2006 | 8 May 2007 | 32 | 16 | 5 | 11 | 50 | 39 | +11 | 50.00 | |
| Cruzeiro | 8 May 2007 | 3 December 2007 | 40 | 19 | 6 | 15 | 74 | 60 | +14 | 47.50 | |
| Coritiba | 4 January 2008 | 7 December 2008 | 67 | 32 | 15 | 20 | 104 | 65 | +39 | 47.76 | |
| Vasco da Gama | 12 December 2008 | 29 November 2009 | 62 | 38 | 16 | 8 | 111 | 47 | +64 | 61.29 | |
| Santos | 5 December 2009 | 21 September 2010 | 58 | 37 | 7 | 14 | 148 | 75 | +73 | 63.79 | |
| Atlético Mineiro | 25 September 2010 | 8 August 2011 | 51 | 25 | 10 | 16 | 97 | 74 | +23 | 49.02 | |
| Internacional | 12 August 2011 | 20 July 2012 | 63 | 32 | 18 | 13 | 107 | 59 | +48 | 50.79 | |
| Flamengo | 25 July 2012 | 16 March 2013 | 37 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 42 | 37 | +5 | 40.54 | |
| Vasco da Gama | 10 July 2013 | 28 October 2013 | 29 | 9 | 8 | 12 | 43 | 45 | −2 | 31.03 | |
| Fluminense | 11 November 2013 | 10 December 2013 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 5 | +3 | 60.00 | |
| Palmeiras | 3 September 2014 | 8 December 2014 | 20 | 6 | 5 | 9 | 20 | 35 | −15 | 30.00 | |
| Santos | 9 July 2015 | 4 June 2017 | 127 | 74 | 25 | 28 | 217 | 112 | +105 | 58.27 | |
| São Paulo | 5 July 2017 | 9 March 2018 | 40 | 17 | 11 | 12 | 50 | 45 | +5 | 42.50 | |
| Flamengo | 28 September 2018 | 1 December 2018 | 12 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 21 | 7 | +14 | 58.33 | |
| Athletico Paranaense | 27 December 2019 | 28 August 2020 | 18 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 27 | 16 | +11 | 50.00 | |
| Ceará | 28 March 2022 | 10 June 2022 | 18 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 33 | 13 | +20 | 61.11 | |
| Flamengo | 10 June 2022 | 31 December 2022 | 43 | 26 | 8 | 9 | 77 | 35 | +42 | 60.47 | |
| São Paulo | 20 April 2023 | 7 January 2024 | 54 | 25 | 13 | 16 | 64 | 46 | +18 | 46.30 | |
| Brazil | 10 January 2024 | 28 March 2025 | 16 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 25 | 17 | +8 | 43.75 | |
| Corinthians | 28 April 2025 | 5 April 2026 | 66 | 26 | 19 | 21 | 71 | 61 | +10 | 39.39 | |
| São Paulo | 15 May 2026 | present | 18 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 19 | 19 | +0 | 27.78 | |
| Total | 1,046 | 510 | 247 | 289 | 1,671 | 1,131 | +540 | 48.76 | — | ||
Honours
Player
Joinville
- Campeonato Catarinense: 1987
Grêmio
- Campeonato Gaúcho: 1993
Juventude
Coach
Figueirense
- Campeonato Catarinense: 2004
Sport Recife
- Campeonato Pernambucano: 2006
Coritiba
- Campeonato Paranaense: 2008
Vasco da Gama
Santos
Internacional
Athletico Paranaense
Flamengo
São Paulo
Corinthians
