Vitor Bruno was certainly forgettable at Porto, but he’s making sure the same isn’t true at Anderlecht.
Bruno was Sergio Conceicao’s long-time assistant in Portugal but caused all-sorts of drama when he replaced him.
Bruno only lasted 29 games as Andre Villas-Boas’ first coach as president before being sacked.
He’s been out of work since January 2025, but has rocked up in the Belgian Pro League with Anderlecht.
Vitor Bruno makes headlines on Anderlecht league debut
And he’s now making headlines after a 2-1 season opening win over La Louvière.
As it normal after games, players who didn’t feature in a match enter the pitch for a cooldown session.
However, Bruno instructed the whole team back on and staged a training session despite many of them having just played 90 minutes.
While there has been praise among many fans, there is some concern about how the Lotto Park pitch will hold up given its previous condition.
Anderlecht also quickly play again versus PAOK in the Europa League qualifying rounds on Thursday.
Who is Anderlecht coach Vitor Bruno?
Bruno became Villas-Boas’ first coach at Porto when he arrived as president in 2024 to replace Pinto da Costa.
Da Costa was closely tied to incumbent Conceicao who’d spoken out against Villas-Boas, meaning his time as the club was as good as over once the election result came in.
However, what wasn’t known was that his assistant would quickly jump at the chance to replace him.
In a scathing resignation statement, Conceicao targeted Bruno.
“Today I announced the termination of the contract signed with Futebol Clube do Porto on April 25th of this year,” he wrote.
“It was a period of 7 years and 11 titles, of great sporting achievements the history of our club.
“Recent events, namely the breach of trust in a member of my technical team, the interference in its integrity and cohesion without my knowledge, leave me exhausted and disillusioned.
“It will not be a breach of values and betrayal by others that will make me question my own values and my word.
“As I promised, I leave Futebol Clube do Porto with the same dignity with which I entered.
“It wasn’t money that I came here for, and it’s not money that I want to leave with.”
The final comment referred to the fact that Conceicao could have demanded payment for the final years of his contract but chose not to.
Bruno went on to flop at Porto and was replaced Martín Anselmi.
Argentine Anselmi was similarly disastrous, casting huge doubt over Villas-Boas’ capabilities as a president.
However, he’s since landed Francesco Farioli who led Porto back to the league title last season.
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