Former Manchester City duo appointed as manager and assistant coach of Albania National Team

The Albania National Team have confirmed the appointment of former Manchester City defender Sylvinho as their new manager.

Alongside the Brazilian football legend, it has also been announced that Manchester City icon Pablo Zabaleta will become the European nation’s new assistant coach alongside his former teammate at the Etihad Stadium.

The pair have been handed the task of winning Albania a place at the 2024 European Championships.

Sylvinho will be taking on his first job at international level, having previously held positions at Ligue 1 giants Olympique Lyonnais, as well as Brazilian club Corinthians. The 48 year-old has has signed an 18-month contract with Albania.

A statement from the Albania Football Federation read: “Albania has reached an agreement with coach Sylvio Mendes Campos Junior to take over the leadership of our national team.

“Known to the public as Sylvinho, (he) has selected Pablo Zabaleta and the Brazilian Dorival Guidoni Junior (Doriva) as his assistants.

“The agreement between the AFL and the new staff headed by Sylvinho foresees an 18-month duration until the end of Euro 2024 and the financial aspect will be based on the results and the achievement of the objectives.

“The agreement has at its core the achievement of the only objective that Albania has in these qualifiers, the qualification for the finals of Euro 2024.

“In the event of the achievement of the objective, it has been agreed that the coach and his staff will benefit from significant bonuses.”

Albania will compete for a place at Euro 2024 in Group E, taking on Poland, Czech Republic, Faroe Islands, and Moldova.