September 6: 41-year-old Brazilian coach becomes a football sensation, leading Monaco to five straight wins and stunning PSG away

From being fired after an 8-0 win to stunning PSG, the 41-year-old Brazilian coach needed only 180 days.

Early on September 5, 2026 Beijing time, at the Parc des Princes. In the third round of Ligue 1, Monaco visited defending champions Paris Saint-Germain. In the 31st minute, Marquinhos scored with a header and PSG led 1-0. The PSG fans in the stands had already started celebrating, because the man standing opposite them was only a 41-year-old Brazilian coach making his first appearance as a manager in Europe's top five leagues.

In the second half, Felipe Luís made key adjustments. In the 58th minute, substitute Teze provided an assist and Nazzino headed in the equalizer. In the 72nd minute, Golovin laid the ball back and Idumbo fired in to complete the comeback. Monaco turned the match around away at PSG, winning 2-1. PSG had 21 shots in total but could not score a second goal.

Five competitive matches, five victories. In the Conference League qualifying playoffs, Monaco won 3-2 away and 4-1 at home against Górnik Zabrze; in Ligue 1, they beat Le Havre 1-0 away, Marseille 2-0 at home, and Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 away. They scored 12 goals and conceded four in five matches. Monaco moved to the top of the Ligue 1 table. Felipe Luís became the first coach in Monaco history to win his first five competitive matches.

But if you turn the clock back six months, the picture was completely different.

On March 2, 2026, at the Maracanã Stadium. Flamengo crushed Madureira 8-0 and advanced to the Rio State Championship final with an 11-0 aggregate score. According to the script, the coach should have been thrown into the air by his players.

Instead, right after the post-match press conference ended, the sporting director called him into a room. The conversation lasted less than 30 minutes — “It’s over.” The players had already left the stadium, and he did not even have the chance to say goodbye to the dressing room.

Being fired after an 8-0 victory is something rarely seen in football history.

His record speaks for itself: 99 matches in charge of Flamengo, with 62 wins, 21 draws and 16 losses. An average of 2.1 points per game. In 18 months, he won the 2024 Copa do Brasil, 2025 Brazilian Super Cup, 2025 Rio State Championship, 2025 Brazilian league title and 2025 Copa Libertadores. Individually, in December 2025, he received 191 of 264 votes (72%) in El País Uruguay's 40th “Best Coach in the Americas” selection and was named South American Coach of the Year.

Even such outstanding results could not prevent a sudden dismissal. The reasons were more complicated than the trophies. At the start of 2026, Flamengo lost two titles in succession — a 0-2 defeat to Corinthians in the Brazilian Super Cup and a 2-4 aggregate comeback loss to Lanús in the Recopa Sudamericana. Dissatisfaction from the club's leadership was building. More importantly, during contract renewal talks, Felipe contacted Chelsea's ownership group. He believed they wanted him to coach Chelsea, but they actually wanted him for Strasbourg. The misunderstanding caused him to lose contact with the club for nearly three days. Internal football politics are more complicated than lines drawn on a tactics board.

Five trophies in hand, and he was still shown the door.

But Felipe did not stay idle.

On May 28, 2026, transfer expert Romano announced “Here we go” as Felipe became Monaco's coach. The contract runs until June 2028. However, because he was working on obtaining his UEFA Pro coaching license, the official announcement was delayed until July 6. He also brought back his trusted Flamengo staff members — assistant coach Ivan Palanco and fitness coach Diogo Linhares.

The challenges came quickly after taking over. On July 25, in his first preseason match, Monaco lost 0-2 to Sporting CP. Doubts immediately emerged.

But Monaco then won three consecutive preseason matches. The most dramatic moment came on August 9 at Anfield, on Felipe's 41st birthday night. At halftime, Monaco trailed Liverpool 0-2. Isak scored in the 16th minute and Wirtz added another in the 29th minute. The second half changed completely — Golovin pulled one back with a penalty in the 43rd minute, Bires equalized with a rebound in the 56th minute, and Brunner headed in the winner in the 88th minute. Monaco completed a stunning 3-2 comeback at Liverpool's home ground. After the match Felipe said: “This was an excellent test. The whole team learned how to unite and resist pressure.”

The preseason comebacks continued into competitive matches. This time, the team that Monaco knocked down was two-time consecutive Champions League winner Paris Saint-Germain. After the match, Felipe said of opposing coach Enrique: “For me, he is not only one of the best coaches in the world today, but also one of the best coaches in football history. Competing against him is a great pleasure, let alone defeating him… for me, this is a great honor.”

Do not forget that at the 2025 FIFA Intercontinental Cup, when he was coaching Flamengo, he had just lost to Enrique's PSG. Six months later, he completed his revenge himself.

Tactically, Felipe carries Atlético Madrid's influence in his DNA, but he is not simply a defensive coach. He favors a 4-2-3-1 formation and has a very aggressive attacking mindset. He builds from the back, attracts opponents' pressing and then looks for spaces. Defensively, he demands a high press, saying after the match: “From the start of the game we tried to press high. The opponents have the ability to break through this pressure, but we must continue playing this way.” Monaco can switch from 4-3-3 to 4-4-2 depending on match situations and does not rely on one rigid structure.

In dressing-room management, he has shown maturity beyond his age. During this summer's transfer window, Monaco midfielder Lamine Camara came close to joining Chelsea for €55 million. The deal collapsed at the final moment. Speaking about Camara after the match, Felipe said: “I did nothing. He is very special. Players like him are rare in football, and I am proud of him.” With one simple statement, he reassured the player while giving all the credit to him.

Felipe's playing career was impressive. He made 333 appearances for Atlético Madrid, winning the 2014 La Liga title, 2013 Copa del Rey, and Europa League titles in 2012 and 2018. On loan at Chelsea in the 2014-15 season, he won the Premier League under Mourinho. He made 44 appearances for Brazil and won the 2019 Copa América. During his two spells at Atlético, he also reached two Champions League finals. He experienced Simeone's intensity, Mourinho's discipline and personally competed at the highest level of football.

Just over two years after retiring, he went from youth coach to first-team manager, from South America to Europe. He won the Rio Cup after five months coaching the U17s and the U20 Intercontinental Cup after three months with the U20s. He took charge of Flamengo's first team in September 2024 and won five trophies in just 14 months. Now in Ligue 1, he has five wins from five matches.

In March 2026, he was dismissed after an 8-0 victory. In September 2026, he defeated two-time Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain away from home.

Less than 180 days separated the two moments.