Nuno Herlander Simões do Espírito Santo, known simply as Nuno, has carved a distinctive path through modern football. Born in São Tomé in 1974, he developed into a resilient goalkeeper before retiring in 2010 to embrace a coaching career—a transformation that would take him from Brazil’s Portuguese-speaking heartland to the Premier League’s sternest tests.
His early coaching journey began humbly as a goalkeeping coach with Málaga and Panathinaikos, where he honed his understanding of football’s finer tactical points. It was in 2012, however, that destiny called—Nuno took the reins at Rio Ave in Portugal’s Primeira Liga, embarking on his first substantial managerial assignment.
Under his guidance, Rio Ave reached both domestic cup finals, an unprecedented feat for the club, and achieved qualification for the UEFA Europa League—the very first in its history.
At Rio Ave, his tactical identity became evident: a blend of military discipline and dynamic transitional football. As one commentator summarized, “Nuno is more of a ‘Smart Possession’ manager… when his team did get the ball he highly encourages attacking participation,” with formations that enabled his side to stretch play and commit players forward.
This growing reputation earned him a move to Valencia in Spain. Entrusted with a La Liga outfit, he guided them to a fourth-place finish in the 2014–15 season, securing Champions League qualification, and clinched three Manager of the Month awards along the way.
The step up to Porto followed in 2016, where he led the team to second place in the league and into the Champions League knockout stages—a brief but high-profile return to his former club as a coach.
Nuno’s next chapter would see his name leave a lasting mark in English football. In 2017, Wolverhampton Wanderers, then a Championship side, appointed him head coach. The result was a near-miraculous transformation. In his first campaign, he guided Wolves to the Championship title and promotion, finishing nine points clear at the top.
The following seasons delivered remarkable consistency: Wolves finished seventh in the Premier League in both 2018–19 and 2019–20—their highest position since the 1979–80 season—and even entered European competition.
Buoyed by success, Nuno accepted an opportunity to manage in the Premier League again, joining Tottenham Hotspur in June 2021. His tenure started promisingly—three early wins, including a notable victory over Manchester City, and another Manager of the Month award in August. But as quickly as it began, it ended: amid a poor run of form, he was dismissed just four months into his two-year contract.
Seeking fresh horizons, Nuno accepted an offer to manage Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia in mid-2022. His impact was immediate: he led them to the Saudi Pro League title and the Super Cup within a season. Yet, by November 2023, his time at the club was over.
December 2023 saw Nuno return to England once more, this time as head coach of Nottingham Forest. Tasked with stabilizing a team dangerously close to relegation and battling to establish themselves in the Premier League, he delivered.
In the 2023–24 season, he helped Forest avoid the drop on the final day, then went on to engineer one of the club’s most memorable campaigns: a seventh-place finish in 2024–25, their highest in the Premier League era, which earned Europa League qualification for the first time in nearly three decades.
In a statement following his dismissal in September 2025, the club reflected on his impact: “As someone who played a pivotal role in our success last season, he will always hold a special place in our journey.” Yet, despite performance, tensions with ownership—particularly over transfers and strategy—led to a breakdown in relations and ultimately his departure.