Guto Ferreira, or Augusto Sérgio Ferreira for the more formal, is one of those names that echoes in the locker rooms and stands of Brazilian football without excessive fanfare. Born on September 7, 1965, in Piracicaba, in the interior of São Paulo, he carries in his veins the smell of wet grass from the little schools and the sweat of sports courts. At 60 years old, Guto is not the type of coach who shouts headlines every day, but rather the one who builds castles brick by brick, with patience and a sharp eye for the collective. His trajectory, marked by comings and goings between big and medium clubs, reflects the country’s own football: full of twists and turns, but always with a firm foot in tradition.
What makes Guto special is not just the resume packed with promotions and regional cups, but the way he reinvents himself. From a boy who switched volleyball for football by chance to a commander who, in November 2025, puts Remo in the fight for a return to the elite after 32 years. It’s a story of persistence, where the balance between a solid defense and quick transitions becomes a recipe for unexpected victories. Let’s dive into this journey, from his roots in Piracicaba to the heat of Curuzu, in Belém.
The Roots: From Volleyball to the Football School
It all started far from the spotlights. Guto grew up in Piracicaba, a city that breathes sports. Son of a simple family, he stood out in volleyball, becoming one of the best local players in his adolescence. He also competed in futsal and basketball in the Student Olympics, showing versatility that would later reveal itself in football. Graduated in physical education from the Methodist University of Piracicaba in 1985, he seemed destined for a conventional athletic career.
But fate, or a “filling in,” changed everything. At 16 years old, while studying at the Catholic College, of the Salesian Congregation, Guto was called to lead the school’s football academy. The original coach was absent, and he, with his multisport background, took on the challenge. “It was just to help, but I got hooked,” he usually says in relaxed interviews. From there, he moved to the youth setup of XV de Piracicaba, his beloved team. As a player, he featured in the youth categories, but soon took the bench, winning the Copa São Paulo de Futebol Juvenil in 1992.
This transition from volleyball to football was not random. Volleyball taught him tactical discipline and game reading in reduced spaces – lessons he carries to the pitch to this day. In Piracicaba, Guto learned to deal with street kids, to motivate without imposing, and to see sport as a tool for transformation. He passed through the youth setup of São Paulo, winning the Campeonato Paulista Juvenil in 1993 and the Torneio Sul-Americano Sub-16 in 1995, and then Internacional, where the fire for the professional level ignited for good.
Rise: First Steps in Professionalism
The turn to professionalism came in 2002, at Internacional. At 37 years old, Guto took over the main team of Colorado and, in the same stroke, lifted the Super Campeonato Gaúcho. It was the first big title, a gauchão that mixed the traditional state with an unprecedented supercup. There, he showed his DNA: a solid 4-4-2, with full-backs that advance like arrows and a midfield that protects the defense like a wall.
But Brazilian football does not forgive the inexperienced. After Inter, came a nomadic learning phase. In 2003, he coached Noroeste, from Bauru, and went to Portugal, taking over Penafiel and Naval. In Europe, he faced the tactical rigor of Portuguese football, adapting to more disciplined squads and demanding fans. “Portugal taught me patience,” he would say years later. Back in Brazil in 2005, he took Corinthians-AL, but the big leap came in 2011, with Mogi Mirim.
In Itapira, Guto led Sapo to Série C, winning the Campeonato Paulista do Interior in 2012. It was a hard-fought promotion, with practical football: lethal counter-attacks and a defense that swallowed balls. From there, he jumped to ABC, Criciúma and, in 2012, Ponte Preta. At Macaca, he lived his initial peak: runner-up in Série B in 2014, securing Série A after 37 years of drought. In Campinas, he became an idol, with the Paulista do Interior of 2015 as the cherry on top.
Those years were of consolidation. Guto was not the “fashionable coach,” but the guy who arrives, organizes and delivers results. His discreet personality – nicknamed “Gordiola” (for his physical resemblance to Pep Guardiola) or “Peter Griffin” by the fans – hides a leader who values dialogue. He encourages mental therapies for players, something he adopted personally at Sport in 2024, and believes in faith as collective fuel.
Memorable Stints: Clubs, Conflicts and Legacies
The 2010s were a carousel for Guto. In 2015, he took over Chapecoense, transforming the Verdão do Oeste into a sensation. He won the Catarinense of 2016, with collective football that echoed the “Chape of 2016,” pre-tragedy. But life took him to Bahia in 2016, where he promoted to Série A and won the Copa do Nordeste of 2017 – his first expressive national cup.
At the Tricolor from Bahia, Guto returned in 2018 and 2021, always rescuing the team from the relegation zone. “Bahia is pure passion,” he defines. Then, Internacional again in 2017 (another promotion to the elite), Sport in 2019 (Pernambucano on penalties against Náutico) and Ceará in 2020. At Vozão, he shone with the undefeated Copa do Nordeste of 2020, reinventing the team with quick transitions inspired by futsal – the sport of his youth.
The 2020s brought more rotation: Coritiba in 2022 (saved from relegation), Goiás in 2023, Ceará again, Sport once more in 2024 and Cuiabá in 2025. At Dourado, runner-up in the Mato-Grossense, but left amid turbulence. Each stint leaves a trace: at Sport, two promotion attempts; at Ceará, defensive efficiency that earned him praise as “more Simeone than Guardiola.”
Guto is a master in crises. He arrives at clubs in boiling point, calms locker rooms and imposes balance. His style? Nothing fixed. “I don’t have a defined system, I adapt to the squad,” he confessed in 2024. He prefers 4-2-3-1 to compact lines, with defensive midfielders that “break” plays like in handball. Defensively impeccable – his teams concede little –, offensively pragmatic, with long balls to speedy forwards.
Titles and Achievements: The Legacy in Numbers
Guto’s honors are those of someone who plays the long game. Besides the Gauchão of 2002, he has two Catarinenses (2016 with Chape), two Pernambucanos (2019 with Sport), Baiano of 2018 and memorable promotions: Mogi Mirim (Série C, 2012), Ponte Preta (Série A, 2014), Bahia (Série A, 2016), Internacional (Série A, 2017), Sport (Série A, 2019). The Copa Verde of 2023, with Goiás, and runners-up like the Mato-Grossense of 2025 complete the picture.
There are seven regionals, two Copas do Nordeste and multiple promotions – fourth in his career until 2019. He is not the king of Libertadores, but the architect of rebirths. His teams win through efficiency: in 2021, at Ceará, it was the deadliest in counter-attacks in Série A.
Style of Play and Philosophy: Balance Above All
Guto Ferreira is not into fads. He criticizes the fever of foreigners in Brazil – “country of passing trends,” as he said in November 2025 –, defending continuous processes. “Results come from time, not from big names.” His tactics? Compact blocks, fast transitions, defense in 4-4-2 that becomes a fortress. Influenced by volleyball, he values quick displacements and collective reading.
Personally, he is the opposite of the spotlight. He does therapy to “keep his head good,” believes in faith as energy – especially at Remo, with the fervor of the Círio de Nazaré. “Be positive, confident. Football is mental.” Youth from the academy? He loves promoting them, like Raí at Bahia in 2021.
Current at Remo: The Dream of Promotion in 2025
September 2025: Guto arrives at Remo, 12th in Série B, under pressure. Debuts with a win, and what follows is magic. Six straight triumphs – including 3-1 over Cuiabá, the best home team in the league – catapult the Blue Lion to third, with 57 points. The Belém crowd explodes: rival Paysandu beaten away, Curuzu packed.
“We are building a process,” says Guto in an interview with Estadão, on November 1st. He talks about an “interesting and competitive” group, with tactical evolution: Jaderson as a hybrid defensive midfielder, five-man line in marking. Promotion to Série A, after 32 years, becomes an obsession. “There are internal and external forces, like the faith of the people here.” With decisive games ahead, Remo dreams big, and Guto, serene, steers the ship.
Conclusion: A Coach for Real Football
Guto Ferreira is Brazilian football in person: resilient, adaptable, human. From Piracicaba to Baenão, he proves that titles are born from patience, not haste. In 2025, with Remo on the crest of the wave, his lesson echoes: the game is collective, success is process. While Brazil discusses trends, Guto keeps winning at what he knows: uniting roots and ambition.
