Javier Pereira (footballer)

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Pereira and the second or maternal family name is Megía.
Javier Pereira
Personal information
Full name Francisco Javier Pereira Megía
Date of birth (1966-05-13) 13 May 1966 (age 58)
Place of birth Badajoz, Spain
Position(s) Winger
Team information
Current team
 Churchill Brothers (head coach)
Youth career
Salesianos
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1984–1985 Badajoz 1 (0)
1986–1987 Montijo
Díter Zafra
Puebla Patria
Sanvicenteño
Guadiana
Managerial career
2001–2003 Badajoz B (Manager)
2003–2005 Don Benito (Manager)
2007–2008 Salamanca (Assistant)
2008–2009 Albacete (Assistant)
2009–2010 Alavés (Manager)
2010–2011 Cartagena (Assistant)
2011–2013 Levante (Assistant)
2013–2014 Valladolid (Assistant)
2014–2015 Watford (Assistant)
2015–2018 Fulham (First Team Lead Coach)
2018–2019 Chongqing Lifan (First Team Lead Coach)
2019–2020 Fulham (Sporting Director)
2020–2021 Henan Jianye (Manager)
2021-2022 Levante (Manager)
2022–2023 Henan SSLM (Manager)
2023-2024 Shanghai Port (Manager)
2024-2025 Watford (Technical Director)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Francisco Javier Pereira Megía (Spanish pronunciation: [xaˈβjeɾ peˈɾejɾa]; born 13 May 1966) is a Spanish football manager and former player who played as a right winger.

Playing career

Born in Badajoz, Extremadura, Pereira only played amateur football during his career. After notably playing one match for Segunda División B side CD Badajoz in the 1984–85 season, he went on to represent UD Montijo, CD Díter Zafra, AD Puebla Patria, CP Sanvicenteño and CD Guadiana.[1]

Pereira eventually retired at the age of just 28, after having degrees in Law and Psychology and a job at the Social security of his hometown.[2]

Managerial career

After retiring, Pereira started his managerial career in 2001, with former side Badajoz's reserve team. On 18 July 2003, he was named manager of Tercera División side CD Don Benito,[3] achieving promotion to the third division in his first season but being sacked in March 2005;[4] his club suffered relegation nonetheless. He eventually returned to Don Benito in 2006, but as a sporting director.[5]

In 2007, Pereira left Don Benito to join Juan Ignacio Martínez's staff at UD Salamanca, as his assistant manager.[6] The duo also worked together at Albacete Balompié before the appointment of Pereira as Deportivo Alavés manager on 22 June 2009.[7]

Pereira left Alavés on 1 February 2010,[8] Pereira returned to his previous role as JIM's assistant at Cartagena, Levante and Valladolid. In 2014 he moved abroad, joining Óscar García's staff at Watford, and continued at the club despite García's departure, working as an assistant of subsequent managers Billy McKinlay and Slaviša Jokanović.[9]

Pereira continued to work with Jokanović in the following three seasons, being his assistant at Fulham.[10] In 2018, after Jokanović was fired, Pereira joined Jordi Cruyff's staff at Chongqing Lifan.

On 30 January 2020, Pereira returned to Fulham as an Assistant Director of Football Operations.[11] He moved back to China on 11 September, after being named manager of Henan Jianye.[12] He steered the club to safety in the relegation play-off, courtesy of four wins and two draws.[13]

In October 2021, Pereira rescinded his contract in Asia and came home to manage struggling La Liga side Levante UD for the rest of the season, with two more campaigns as option.[14] At the turn of the year, he returned to the Chinese Super League, joining the renamed Henan Songshan Longmen.[15] In the following year, he joined Shanghai Port where he won the tile for the second time in club's history.[16] In August 2024, Pereira returned to England as a Technical Director, of Watford F.C. for the rest of the 2024–25 English Championship season.

Personal life

Pereira's father José Luis was also a footballer.[17] A midfielder, his professional inputs consisted of 31 appearances in three seasons with CF Extremadura and Badajoz.[18]

Managerial statistics

As of 31 December 2023
Managerial record by team and tenure
Team Nat From To Record
G W D L GF GA GD Win %
Don Benito Spain 18 July 2003 17 March 2005 74 34 21 19 108 51 +57 045.95
Alavés Spain 9 July 2009 1 February 2010 28 10 11 7 35 24 +11 035.71
Henan Jianye China 11 September 2020 6 October 2021 20 8 8 4 22 19 +3 040.00
Levante Spain 7 October 2021 29 November 2021 7 0 3 4 7 15 −8 000.00
Henan Songshan Longmen China 9 January 2022 28 February 2023 35 18 8 9 62 33 +29 051.43
Shanghai Port China 1 March 2023 31 December 2023 33 20 6 7 69 39 +30 060.61
Total 197 90 57 50 303 181 +122 045.69

Honours

Shanghai Port

References

  1. ^ "Javier Pereira" (in Spanish). El Periódico Extremadura. 30 June 2004. Archived from the original on 28 October 2021. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  2. ^ "Javier Pereira, el funcionario que dejó la Seguridad Social apadrinado por Roberto Martínez y Jordi Cruyff" [Javier Pereira, the civil servant who left the Social Security sponsored by Roberto Martínez and Jordi Cruyff] (in Spanish). El Mundo. 7 October 2021. Archived from the original on 16 October 2021. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  3. ^ "Javier Pereira es el nuevo entrenador del Don Benito" [Javier Pereira is the new manager of Don Benito] (in Spanish). El Periódico Extremadura. 18 July 2003. Archived from the original on 14 November 2021. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  4. ^ "Escalante suple al frente del Don Benito a Pereira" [Escalante replaces Pereira ahead of Don Benito] (in Spanish). El Periódico Extremadura. 17 March 2005. Archived from the original on 16 October 2021. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  5. ^ "Javi Pereira será director deportivo del Don Benito" [Javi Pereira will be a sporting director of Don Benito] (in Spanish). El Periódico Extremadura. 19 July 2006. Archived from the original on 16 October 2021. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  6. ^ ""La gente se pellizca y no se lo cree"" [The people pinch themselves and cannot believe it] (in Spanish). Hoy. 26 October 2011. Archived from the original on 9 June 2024. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  7. ^ "Javi Pereira Mecía, nuevo técnico del Alavés" [Javi Pereira Mecía [sic], new manager of Alavés] (in Spanish). Marca. 22 June 2009. Archived from the original on 27 June 2023. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  8. ^ "El Deportivo Alavés rescinde su contrato con Javier Pereira" [Deportivo Alavés rescind their contract with Javier Pereira] (in Spanish). El Mundo. 1 February 2010. Archived from the original on 27 June 2023. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  9. ^ "Ruben Martinez and Javier Pereira may have been Oscar Garcia appointments but Slavisa Jokanovic has been delighted with the duo". Watford Observer. 4 February 2015. Archived from the original on 25 September 2021. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  10. ^ "Un extremeño en la Premier League" [An Extremaduran in the Premier League] (in Spanish). Hoy. 5 August 2018. Archived from the original on 6 August 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  11. ^ "El Fulham ficha al español Javier Pereira para la dirección deportiva" [Fulham sign the Spaniard Javier Pereira for the sporting direction] (in Spanish). Marca. 30 January 2020. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  12. ^ "CSL club Henan Jianye sign Spanish Javier Pereira as head coach". China Daily. 11 September 2020. Archived from the original on 27 June 2023. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  13. ^ "Javier Pereira: "Cada vez hay más jugadores que vienen a competir de verdad a la liga China"" [Javier Pereira: "There are more and more players who come to compete seriously in the Chinese League"] (in Spanish). Marca. 23 November 2020. Archived from the original on 24 November 2020. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
  14. ^ "Javier Pereira, nuevo entrenador del Levante" [Javier Pereira, new manager of Levante] (in Spanish). Diario AS. 7 October 2021. Archived from the original on 7 October 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  15. ^ "Javier Pereira encuentra equipo semanas después de su fracaso en el Levante" [Javier Pereira finds team weeks after his failure at Levante] (in Spanish). El Desmarque. 10 January 2022. Archived from the original on 14 February 2023. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  16. ^ "Spain's Pereira takes over as new Shanghai Port coach". Reuters. 1 March 2023. Archived from the original on 25 April 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  17. ^ "Pereira será el próximo entrenador del Badajoz" [Pereira will be the next manager of Badajoz]. El Periódico Extremadura. Archived from the original on 16 October 2021. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  18. ^ "José Luis Pereira Blanco". BDFutbol.com. Archived from the original on 9 June 2024. Retrieved 16 October 2021.