Daniel Sousa (football manager)

Pedro Daniel da Cunha Pereira de Sousa (born 3 October 1984) is a Portuguese football manager who is the current head coach of Primeira Liga club Braga.

After working as a long-term assistant manager to André Villas-Boas, he started managing in his own right in the Primeira Liga in 2022.

Assistant
Sousa first met the Portuguese coach André Villas-Boas when the former was a student at the University of Porto, in the Faculty of Sports. He interviewed Villas-Boas about strategies for attacking football as part of his final-year thesis, and was later recommended to the young manager by professor of football José Guilherme, who was Villas-Boas' assistant at Académica. Sousa was Villas-Boas' match analyst at Académica, Porto, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, and Zenit Saint Petersburg, and assistant manager at Zenit Shanghai Port and Marseille spanning 10 years of service.

Gil Vicente
On 16 November 2022, Sousa was named in his first managerial job, at his hometown club Gil Vicente FC. He replaced Ivo Vieira at the 16th-placed team. His debut four days later was a 2–2 draw at S.C. Covilhã in the Taça da Liga group stage; by winning the two other games they made the quarter-finals and lost 2–0 to eventual winners Porto.

Sousa's first Primeira Liga game was a 1–0 home win over C.D. Santa Clara on 29 December 2022. The following 26 February, he won 2–1 away to Porto, one of only three losses over the season for the opponents and of two at the Estádio do Dragão. After a 13th-placed finish, he left on 26 June 2023 as the club president wanted a different manager.

Arouca
On 15 November 2023, following the sacking of Daniel Ramos, Sousa was appointed manager of F.C. Arouca, who sat last place in the Primeira Liga table, signing a contract until the end of the 2023–24 season. He made his debut eleven days later in the fourth round of the Taça de Portugal at home to Boavista F.C. and won on penalties after a 2–2 home draw. On 3 December, away to the same opponents, he won 4–0 in his first league game. He was the Manager of the Month for February 2024 with three wins and a loss, including a 3–2 home victory against FC Porto.

Sousa departed the club on 20 May 2024, after a 7th-place finish in the campaign.

Braga
On 24 May 2024, Sousa was announced as manager of Braga, signing a two-year contract.