Among the rare Brazilian coaches trying their luck in Europe today, Paulo César draws attention for one singularity: he is among the elite of women’s football. At 47 years old, he has been coaching the Paris Saint-Germain team, one of the strongest on the continent, since the start of the 2025/26 season.
A former full-back for Fluminense, Santos and other teams, he played for the Brazilian team in three friendlies at the beginning of 2002. In France, he played for five years at PSG itself, between 2002 and 2007, creating a strong bond with the club. After five years coaching the women’s under-19s, he was promoted to coach of the first team. He lives in a house next to the very modern Poissy training center, on the western outskirts of Paris.
“For me, it’s a great honor to be able to give back some of what they gave me when I was a player,” he said. “I have great affection and a very close relationship with the club. That’s why I’m here today.”
The start of the season was difficult for PSG. Defeats in the first rounds resulted in elimination from the Champions League in the first phase. In the French league, the team was runner-up until the end of 2025, but lost nine points on the mat, due to the irregular lineup of Canadian midfielder Florianne Jourde, falling to fifth place. The club announced that it will appeal.
Despite these setbacks, Paris Saint-Germain has persisted with its policy of valuing the base, which includes Paulo César remaining in office. The bet on home silverware did not stop the Brazilian from recommending the signing of two national team-level compatriots, right-back Isabela (ex-Cruzeiro) and midfielder Yayá (ex-Corinthians). All to try to get closer to Lyon, the greatest power in French women’s football, which this year invested in expensive reinforcements.
“They bring a different culture, a technical quality that we have in Brazil”, said Paulo César. “They are very versatile players. I hope they can adapt as soon as possible, that they can be happy with what they are seeing.”
The difficulty for Brazilian coaches to win in Europe’s elite is notorious. In the previous generation, Vanderlei Luxemburgo had a brief spell at Real Madrid (2005), and Luiz Felipe Scolari, once at Chelsea (2008/09). Both had difficulty with the local language and culture.
In the case of Paulo César, the fluent French acquired during his playing days is essential.
“It is essential for you to be able to respect the culture you arrive at. It is very important to adapt to the particularities of the countries. For me, it is of enormous importance. I am studying English to improve myself, because I have many foreign players. Today, we have technology, which helps us a lot”, he noted.
Currently, former full-back Sylvinho is the most prominent Brazilian coach in Europe, with a chance of taking the Albanian team to their first World Cup, in the European playoffs, which will be played in March. World champion as a player in 2002, Juliano Belletti led Barcelona to the 2025 Uefa Youth League title, equivalent to the under-20 Champions League. Former defender Cris has been trying his luck in the lower divisions of France — he recently coached Châteauroux, in the third division.
