- He is Brazilian and was champion of the CONMEBOL Copa América™ as a player.
- He has been coaching Bolivia since 2023.
Antônio Carlos Zago was born in São Paulo in 1969 and had a successful career as a player, which included winning the Italian league 2000/2001 with Roma, as well as being part of the legendary São Paulo team that won the CONMEBOL Libertadores in 1992.
One of his great moments as a footballer came in the CONMEBOL Copa América Paraguay 1999™: he started in five out of six matches for the team coached by Vanderlei Luxemburgo, which won all its matches to become champions.
As a coach, his career began in 2009 and he gained experience in Brazil, Japan, and Bolivia. His outstanding performance with Bolívar, with which he won the championship in 2022 and achieved 71% of possible points in 75 matches, opened the door for him to start coaching the Verde in 2023.
His debut was against Peru, with a 2-0 victory to secure Bolivia's first win in the qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup 2026.
Bolivia is in Group C along with the United States, Uruguay, and Panama. They will debut in the tournament against the host on June 23rd.
As a champion player of the CONMEBOL Copa América™ and with extensive experience as a coach, Antônio Carlos Zago excites Bolivian fans with the prospect of a good tournament in the same country where the Verde played their last FIFA World Cup in 1994.
