Nantes announce the arrival of Luis Castro
FC Nantes have appointed former SL Dunkerque manager Luis Castro to replace Antoine Kombouaré -- learn more about the Portuguese manager with a knack for upsets in our latest profile.
Success with Dunkerque
Having been appointed to the bench in September 2023, with the club languishing at the bottom of the table (16th), Luis Castro turned the team around and enjoyed a successful second season in the North. Indeed, Dunkerque caused a surprise by recording a historic fourth place finish in Ligue 2 BKT, securing a spot in the Play-offs after beating Guingamp. Along with this was an exceptional run in the Coupe de France, as the Club reached the semi-finals, having only lost to PSG, after defeating LOSC and Stade Brestois.
Bienvenue Coach 🇵🇹👊#OnEstNantes
— FC Nantes (@FCNantes) June 16, 2025
Experience with Neves, Moreira, and Ramos
As Benfica's youth coach from 2019 to 2022, and then in charge of the Eagles' reserve team in 2022/23, Castro notably helped develop two current PSG players, Portuguese players João Neves and Gonçalo Ramos. Indeed, the latter finished top scorer in the Youth League under his command. The Parisian midfielder, meanwhile, won the 2022 Youth League title under the new Nantes coach.
Castro also coached Cher Ndour, who also played for PSG, and Diego Moreira, one of the revelations of this last season in Ligue 1 McDonald's with Strasbourg, and a player who also won major titles with Benfica's youth team.
Plenty of titles with Benfica's youth team
During the 2021/22 season, Castro achieved a historic hat-trick with Benfica's Under-19s -- the coach won the Portuguese league, the UEFA Youth League, and the Intercontinental Cup. FC Nantes have now signed their 18th coach in as many years, including three Portuguese ones.
Before Castro, Sergio Conceição was the club's first Portuguese coach in the 2016/17 season, arriving in December. Under him, the Canaries finished seventh, their best finish in 21 years. A year after his departure, Miguel Cardoso was appointed head coach (June 2018), with a less successful experience (1 win in 8 matches).
No experience as a player
Like his illustrious compatriots José Mourinho, André Villas-Boas, and Leonardo Jardim, the Nantes coach went straight into coaching in the world of professional football. Castro studied football at the University of Bragança, in northeastern Portugal, inspired by José Mourinho's FC Porto in 2002/2003, "a team where everyone thinks the same thing." He then left his job as a teacher to begin his career in Saudi Arabia (2011) before moving to Vitoria Guimaraes (2012).
In 2019, Luis Castro joined the Benfica youth academy, before coaching the reserves in 2022/23. His first experience in charge of a senior first team, however, quickly ended, lasting only 6 matches, including 5 defeats, with the Greek club Panetolikos in 2019/2020. Now back at the reins of a top-flight club, Castro will look to take some of the same magic he made with Dunkerque into Ligue 1 McDonald's.
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