Paulo Pereira (handballer)
| Paulo Pereira | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Pereira in 2018 | |||
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Paulo Jorge de Moura Pereira | ||
| Born |
21 March 1965 Amarante, Portugal | ||
| Nationality | Portuguese | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club |
Portugal Dinamo București | ||
| Teams managed | |||
| Years | Team | ||
1996–1999 | CPN Porto | ||
2003–2006 | FC Porto | ||
2006–2008 | CB Cangas | ||
2008–2009 | Atletico Sport Aviação | ||
2009–2010 | Angola | ||
2010–2013 | CD Primeiro de Agosto | ||
2013–2015 | Tunisia | ||
2015–2016 | Espérance Sportive de Tunis | ||
2016–2019 | Portugal | ||
2017–2019 | CSM București | ||
2019– | Portugal | ||
2022 | Al Kuwait SC | ||
2024–2025 | RK Celje | ||
2025– | Dinamo București | ||
Paulo Pereira (born 21 March 1965) is a Portuguese handball coach of the Portuguese men's national team.
In 2016, the Portuguese Handball Federation appointed him as the new head coach of the Portugal national team, succeeding Rolando Freitas. His current contract extends until 2025.
He is best known for transforming the Portugal national team into a competitive force on the international stage, leading them to a 6th-place finish at the 2020 European Men's Handball Championship, and their first-ever appearance at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, where they placed 9th. .
In 2025, he led the Portugal team to reach the semifinals of the World Championship for the first time in history. They lost the semifinals to Denmark and the third place playoff to France by a narrow one-point margin.
Three Portuguese players were selected for the 2025 IHF Men's World Championship All-Star team:
- Best Centre Back: Martim Costa.
- Best Line Player: Victor Iturriza.
- Best Young Player Presented by LIDL: Francisco Costa.
In recognition of his historical achievements, Paulo Pereira won the title of “Coach of the Year” at Sports Gala organized by the National Sports Federation. He won as well the ‘’technical’’ award of the eighth edition of the Bento Pessoa National Awards, under the category of ‘’Entities of National Scope’’.
At the 2026 European Men's Handball Championship he guidedthe Portugal team to 5th place; their best ever finish at a European Championship.
His distinctive ideas of using aggressive, all-in tactics have completely changed the course of the Portugal national team. He is also a psychology aficionado who relies on advanced motivational techniques to optimize the players' efficiency.