1. He had an 18-year playing career
Our new Head Coach enjoyed an 18-year playing career, in three different countries, as a goalkeeper. Nuno spent time between the sticks in his home country of Portugal with Vitória de Guimarães, and then had spells in Spain with Deportivo La Coruña, Mérida and Osasuna, followed by a year at Dynamo Moscow in Russia, before finishing his career at FC Porto.
Nuno was a member of the La Coruña squad which triumphed 2-1 against Real Madrid in the 2001/02 Copa del Rey final, then was José Mourinho’s first-ever signing for Porto in 2002. He was part of the glory years, winning the 2004 UEFA Champions League final against AS Monaco, the 2004 Intercontinental Cup against Once Caldas of Colombia and the 2009 Taça de Portugal final against Paços de Ferreira. He was also part of Portugal’s squad for UEFA Euro 2008.
2. He started coaching in his thirties
Having announced his retirement from playing in the summer of 2010, Nuno Santo moved to Málaga and Panathinaikos as a goalkeeping coach, before he moved into management with Portuguese side Rio Ave in 2012. He led the Vila do Conde-based club to their first-ever European qualification in 2013/14, having narrowly lost to treble-winners SL Benfica in both domestic cup finals.
3. He has coached big clubs in Spain and England
Nuno was appointed as Valencia manager in July 2014 and guided them to fourth place in his first season, winning three La Liga Manager of the Month awards.
After departing Valencia, he returned to FC Porto as head coach in June 2016, and guided them to a second-place finish in the Primeira Liga and reached the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League, and then took his considerable skills to the Premier League.
During his four seasons at Molineux, Nuno led Wolves to the Premier League as EFL Championship champions and recorded back-to-back seventh-place finishes in the top flight and recorded the club’s highest points total for Wolves in the Premier League of 59, while his side became the first Wolves team to reach the quarter-finals of a European competition for nearly 50 years.
4. He won the Saudi Pro League
Nuno followed his time with the Old Gold with a short period in charge of Tottenham Hotspur, then moved to Saudi Arabia with Al-Ittihad Club, whom he guided to the Saudi Pro League and Saudi Super Cup during his solitary season in charge at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in 2022/23.
5. He returned to Premier League management with Nottingham Forest
After that successful time with Al-Ittihad Club, Nuno returned to the Premier League with Nottingham Forest in December 2023.
In his first full season in charge at the City Ground in 2024/25, he guided the Tricky Trees to seventh in the table - their highest finish since 1994/95 - as they qualified for Europe for the first time in three decades, as well as reaching the FA Cup semi-finals.
They collected 65 points, more than double their tally (32) from 2023/24, and finished just six points behind third-place Manchester City.
6. He tries to live a full life
Our new Head Coach is often very calm and composed in the dugout, and that calmness runs through his day-to-day life both in and out of his work.
First impressions are really important, and Nuno is a character who knows when it is time to be serious and when it is time to relax.
Nuno is fond of a percussion instrument known as a handpan, which essentially looks like a huge metallic shell, and it is often said to be heard emanating from his office.
Furthermore, he also has a love of horses, and that means visiting stables and riding horses early in the morning before his working day begins, while he evidently enjoys sightseeing, having once bought a plot of land overlooking Santuario da Penha, a religious monument in Guimarães, because he was so fascinated by the views from the city’s hilltops.
It has been said that he’s an excellent padel player and enjoys a round of golf with his coaches, while he also relishes the challenges of the sea and diving.
7. He will link up with familiar faces in east London
Upon his appointment in east London, Nuno links up with some familiar faces at West Ham, most notably, centre-back Maximilian Kilman, who was handed his professional and Premier League debut by the now 51-year-old against Fulham in May 2019, when the pair were at Molineux. Midfielder James Ward-Prowse was taken on loan to Nottingham Forest last summer last summer.
8. Nuno’s last two names, translated, mean ‘Holy Spirit’
Our new Head Coach’s last two names Espírito Santo translate to English as 'Holy Spirit'.
