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Vágner Benazzi
	Benazzi in 2010
Personal information
Full name	Vágner Benazzi de Andrade
Date of birth	17 July 1954
Place of birth	Osasco, São Paulo, Brazil
Date of death	22 May 2023 (aged 68)
Place of death	Osasco, São Paulo, Brazil
Height	1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s)	Right-back
Youth career
1967–1969	Nacional (SP)
1970–1971	Portuguesa
Senior career*
Years	Team
1972	Operário (MS)
1973	Portuguesa
1974	Sampaio Corrêa
1975–1977	Juventude
1978	XV de Jaú
1979–1980	Comercial
1981–1982	Palmeiras
1983	São José
1984	Paulista
1985	Botafogo-PB
1985	Taquaritinga
1986	Independente de Limeira
1988	Lençoense
1989	Sãocarlense
Managerial career
1989–1990	Sãocarlense
1990	Lençoense
1990	União Barbarense
1990	Comercial
1991	Sãocarlense
1991	Lemense
1991	Taquaritinga
1992–1993	Sãocarlense
1994	Comercial
1994	Portuguesa Santista
1995	União Barbarense
1996	Bragantino
1996	Paulista
1996	Paraguaçuense
1997	União Barbarense
1998	Gama
1998–1999	Paulista
1999–2000	São José (SP)
2000	Santo André
2001	Atlético Sorocaba
2001	Santo André
2001	Figueirense
2002	Santo André
2002	Náutico
2003	Figueirense
2003	Brasiliense
2004	Criciúma
2004	Paysandu
2005	Fortaleza
2005	Joinville
2006	Avaí
2006–2008	Portuguesa
2008	Ponte Preta
2009	Vila Nova
2009–2010	Portuguesa
2010–2011	Avaí
2011	Bahia
2011	Vitória
2012	Botafogo (SP)
2013	Bragantino
2013	Atlético Sorocaba
2013	Bragantino
2014	Paysandu
2014	Comercial
2014	Guarani
2014	Portuguesa
2015	Bragantino
2016	Nacional de Manaus
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Vágner Benazzi de Andrade (17 July 1954 – 22 May 2023) was a Brazilian professional football coach and former player who played as a right-back. During his tenure as a coach, he gained recognition as the "Rei do Acesso" (King of Promotions) due to his remarkable achievements in leading lower division clubs to higher tiers. Throughout his career, Benazzi guided a total of six different clubs to promotion, encompassing both the Campeonato Brasileiro and the Campeonato Paulista.^[1]^[2] He was also known for his ability to successfully steer teams clear of relegation.^[3]^[4]

As a player, he enjoyed a professional career spanning 16 years, during which he represented teams such as Comercial, Juventude, and Palmeiras.^[3]

Club career

Benazzi's early footballing journey involved playing for the youth teams of Nacional-SP and Portuguesa. Subsequently, in 1972, he embarked on his professional career as a right-back with Operário de Campo Grande. In 1973, Benazzi made his return to Lusa, where he joined the squad that went on to clinch the Campeonato Paulista title that year.^[5] Following a one-year stint with Sampaio Corrêa, he played for Juventude from 1975 to 1978.^[6]

In 1978, Benazzi briefly played for XV de Jaú before making a move to Comercial de Ribeirão Preto the following year. It was during his time at Comercial that he truly made his mark, delivering standout performances in the 1979 and 1980 editions of the Campeonato Paulista.^[7] Benazzi's exceptional performances caught the attention of Palmeiras, leading to his signing with the club for a two-season stint. However, his time with Verdão did not yield significant success.^[8]

Following his departure from Palmeiras, Benazzi spent a year with São José before joining Paulista, where he was part of the squad that finished second in the 1984 Campeonato Paulista second division.^[9] In 1985, he played for Botafogo-PB in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A and for Taquaritinga in the Paulistão second tier.^[10] In the final years of his career, Benazzi went on to represent Independente de Limeira, Lençoense, and Grêmio Sãocarlense, concluding his professional journey with the latter in 1989.^[11]

Coaching career

In 1989, Benazzi took up his first major coaching role as he led his former team, Grêmio Sãocarlense, to the Campeonato Paulista Third Division title, beating Sertãozinho in the finals.^[12]^[13] Benazzi replicated his success the following year by guiding União Barbarense to promotion to the second division. In 1991, he took on his first coaching role in the second tier of state football, where he led Lemense to a second-place finish. The subsequent year, he achieved further triumph by securing the title with Taquaritinga.^[14]

Following a second stint with Sãocarlense and a brief spell with Comercial, Benazzi took Portuguesa Santista to the second division in 1994. In the 1990s, he also worked in Bragantino, Paraguaçuense and União Barbarense. He took the latter to their first-ever promotion to the top flight of the Campeonato Paulista, in 1998.^[15]

Benazzi joined Avaí in 2006, helping the club to achieve a place in 2007 Copa do Brasil. He subsequently moved to Portuguesa, being promoted with the club and also winning the Campeonato Paulista Série A2.

On 10 October 2010, after managing Ponte Preta, Vila Nova and Portuguesa, Benazzi returned to Avaí,^[16] with the club narrowly avoiding relegation in the year's Campeonato Brasileiro Série A. On 14 February of the following year, however, he was relieved of his duties.^[17]

Benazzi also managed Bahia, and after being dismissed joined fierce rivals Vitória, leaving the latter in December 2011. He was later in charge of Botafogo-SP,^[18] Bragantino (two stints),^[19]^[20] Atlético Sorocaba, Paysandu,^[21] Comercial-SP^[22] and Guarani.^[23] He rescinded with the latter on 14 September,^[24] joining Portuguesa a day after.^[25]