Pedro Daniel da Cunha Pereira de Sousa (born 3 October 1984) is a Portuguese footballmanager who is the current head coach of Primeira Liga club Braga.
After working as a long-term assistant manager to André Villas-Boas, he started managing in his own right in the Primeira Liga in 2022.
Sousa first met the Portuguese coach André Villas-Boas when the former was a student at the University of Porto, in the Faculty of Sports. He interviewed Villas-Boas about strategies for attacking football as part of his final-year thesis, and was later recommended to the young manager by professor of football José Guilherme, who was Villas-Boas' assistant at Académica.[1] Sousa was Villas-Boas' match analyst at Académica, Porto, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, and Zenit Saint Petersburg, and assistant manager at Zenit Shanghai Port and Marseille spanning 10 years of service.[2][3]
On 16 November 2022, Sousa was named in his first managerial job, at his hometown club Gil Vicente FC. He replaced Ivo Vieira at the 16th-placed team.[4] His debut four days later was a 2–2 draw at S.C. Covilhã in the Taça da Liga group stage;[5] by winning the two other games they made the quarter-finals and lost 2–0 to eventual winners Porto.[6]
Sousa's first Primeira Liga game was a 1–0 home win over C.D. Santa Clara on 29 December 2022.[7] The following 26 February, he won 2–1 away to Porto, one of only three losses over the season for the opponents and of two at the Estádio do Dragão.[8] After a 13th-placed finish, he left on 26 June 2023 as the club president wanted a different manager.[9]
On 15 November 2023, following the sacking of Daniel Ramos, Sousa was appointed manager of F.C. Arouca, who sat last place in the Primeira Liga table, signing a contract until the end of the 2023–24 season.[10] He made his debut eleven days later in the fourth round of the Taça de Portugal at home to Boavista F.C. and won on penalties after a 2–2 home draw.[11] On 3 December, away to the same opponents, he won 4–0 in his first league game.[12] He was the Manager of the Month for February 2024 with three wins and a loss, including a 3–2 home victory against FC Porto.[13]
Sousa departed the club on 20 May 2024, after a 7th-place finish in the campaign.[14]
