Vitor Pereira is not shy when it comes to speaking his mind. The Portuguese manager once enraged an entire fanbase with comments he made about Liverpool.
Wolves are preparing to travel to Merseyside later this week for an important Premier League clash against table-toppers Liverpool.
The game will be a tough encounter, and one the Old Gold won’t be expected to take anything from.
Pereira would love to cause an upset though, and to some fans’ surprise, already has a bit of a history with Liverpool.
The Wolves manager is a love-him-or-hate-him character — we love him — but after what he said about Liverpool three years ago, it’s safe to say… one fanbase does not.
Vitor Pereira once angered Corinthians’ fans with Liverpool comments
Since making his managerial debut in 2011, Pereira has worked in eight different countries. Now in England with Wolves, the 56-year-old began his career in charge of Porto in Portugal before experiencing spells in Turkey, Germany, Greece, China, Saudi Arabia, and Brazil.
Although Pereira isn’t known for long stays at any club, one of his shortest stints was with Corinthians, where he lasted just 10 months before moving to rivals Flamengo. Even though he was in charge for less than a year, Pereira’s comments in one press conference angered the club’s entire fanbase.
Speaking to the Brazilian press after Corinthians drew 1-1 against Sao Paulo in 2022, Pereira stunned reporters by strangely revealing he wanted to manage Liverpool.
“If you ask me, I wanted to coach Liverpool, with all the respect I have for Corinthians. Here it’s not what we want, in my concept, in terms of the game, it’s not what we want, it’s what the team needs,” the Wolves boss said at the time.
Pereira’s answer came about after he was asked why he didn’t introduce forward Roger Guedes and suggested that not everyone gets what they want.
To say his comments went down like a lead balloon is an understatement…
Fans were fuming
Hearing Pereira, the Corinthians manager at the time, openly admit he wants to manage another team unsurprisingly enraged the club’s fanbase. How Pereira is viewed in Brazil has been influenced by his controversial comments.
Large sections of supporters demanded his sacking and the South American media also joined the criticism. Journalists following the story called him “disrespectful” which contributed to the club’s decision to remove him from his role just weeks later.
After Pereira’s departure was confirmed, Guedes revealed the squad’s happiness.
“We were happy that he was leaving, I don’t need to lie,” the outcasted winger said at the time.
Ouch.