Following his appointment this week, we take a look at Marco Silva’s coaching journey which has now brought him to South-West London.
A right-back in his playing days, Silva made most of his professional appearances for the club at which he retired; GD Estoril.
Immediately after hanging up his boots in the summer of 2011, he was appointed Director of Football at the Lisbon side. However, within a couple of months he was asked to manage the team, aged just 34, following the dismissal of Brazilian coach Vinícius Eutrópio.
“Marco Silva will be the coach,” the club’s President Tiago Ribeiro said at the time. “It won't be just for a game. We trust in his abilities and we want him to stay.”
The team were sitting 10th in the Portuguese second tier when Silva took charge, but he immediately demonstrated his managerial credentials by leading them to the title that same season.
He was subsequently named the division’s Manager of the Year.
Now in the top flight and competing with the likes of Porto, Benfica and Sporting Clube de Portugal, many expected Estoril to make an immediate return to the second tier.
But Silva’s progressive style of football suited his team, and they finished in an impressive fifth position, two places ahead of their Lisbon rivals Sporting, bringing European football to the club for the first time in its history.
The following season, Silva managed to go one better, leading Estoril to fourth spot in the Primeira Liga.
His success was being closely watched from nearby, and in the summer of 2014 he made the half hour journey across the capital to join Sporting as their head coach.
It was here that he first worked with Luis Boa Morte, who was coaching their Under-19 side.
Silva spent only one season at the Portuguese giants but made his mark. Their third place finish was enough to secure Champions League football, while they also won the prestigious Taça de Portugal – the equivalent of the FA Cup – which was the club’s first silverware for seven years.
A move away from his homeland came next, when historic Greek side Olympiakos came calling.
Again, he made an immediate impact, winning his first 17 league matches to have the title all but sewn up by January.
After that they dropped points in just two fixtures, meaning that they won the title by a ridiculous margin of 30 points.
Olympiakos almost made it a domestic double only to be narrowly edged out 2-1 by AEK Athens in the Greek Cup, but another highlight did arrive in the UEFA Champions League when they defeated Arsenal 3-2 at the Emirates.
Silva’s first job in England was a difficult one, with Hull City sitting bottom of the Premier League having won just three league matches all season.
He won his first Premier League game 3-1 against Bournemouth, and took four points off Manchester United and Liverpool soon after.
Four consecutive home victories then looked as though they might just about be able to pull off a great escape, but in the end the Tigers fell just short in 18th place.
Nonetheless, Silva’s role in turning around the club’s fortunes impressed those elsewhere, with Watford deciding he was the man to take them forwards, having finished one place above Hull in 2016/17.
He hit the ground running once more, with the Hornets losing just one of their opening eight Premier League matches – form which had them sitting fourth in the standings.
Silva wasn’t at Vicarage Road for long, departing in January 2018, but left the club in a healthy position in the top half of the Premier League.
His time out of work was brief, with long-time admirers Everton hiring him ahead of the new campaign.
Silva’s first season in charge at Goodison Park saw him lead the club to eighth spot, narrowly missing out on a European place. One more win would have seen them leapfrog Wolverhampton Wanderers in seventh.
The season featured impressive wins over Chelsea, Leicester City and Arsenal, in addition to a 4-0 thumping of Manchester United.
In the summer of 2019, Silva and Boa Morte were reunited, with the latter appointed as the Toffees’ new assistant manager.
Arriving on Merseyside, Boa said: “I’m excited to be working again with the manager, Marco Silva, who is a great coach and I would like to thank him for providing me with such a big opportunity.”
Having waited for the right time to embark on his next challenge, Silva is now looking forward to a new era at Craven Cottage.
“I’m really pleased and proud to be appointed Head Coach of such a historic football club,” he said after signing his contract. “I want to thank the owner, Mr Khan, Tony Khan and the entire football structure of Fulham Football Club, for the trust shown in us.
“I’m excited to get started and my message for our fans ahead of this big challenge is we will all be working very hard together to be successful so they can feel proud at the end of the season.”
