Portuguese tactician Rui Vitoria has been appointed the new national team coach of Egypt on a four-year contract after being passed over by the Nigeria Football Federation for the position of Super Eagles coach.
On Monday night, the Egyptian Football Association announced that Vitoria would take over as the Pharaohs’ head coach in place of the recently fired Ehab Galal.
Before the NFF chose his fellow countryman Jose Peseiro to lead the Super Eagles, Vitoria was one of the candidates for the position after Gernot Rohr was fired in December.
On Monday night, the 52-year-old Vitoria officially announced his appointment as the new head coach of the African powerhouses in a social media post.
He signed a four-year contract with the EFA, with a mission of leading the national team to success in their future assignments.
“I am Rui Vitoria, the Egyptian national team coach for the next four years,” the former Benfica manager stated.
Vitoria takes over from Ehab Galal and his prime targets are to win the next edition of the Africa Cup of Nations and also secure a place at the 2026 World Cup.
Galal lasted three months on the job after replacing Portuguese Carlos Queiroz, who declined to renew his expired contract after the Pharaohs missed out on 2022 World Cup qualification.
He was sacked in June following a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Ethiopia in the 2023 TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers and a 4-1 mauling to South Korea in an international friendly.
Vitória is a highly-rated manager, having coached top sides like Benfica, where he won the Portuguese Primeira Liga on two occasions in 2015/16 and 2016/17 seasons.
He also won the Taca de Portugal trophy at Vitória Guimarães in the 2012/13 season.
Vitória also won a double with Saudi club Al Nassr in the 2018/19 campaign, having clinched the Saudi Pro League and Super Cup trophies.
He was voted back-to-back best coach of the Portuguese top-tier in the 2015/16 and 2016/17 seasons.