Mamelodi Sundowns have strengthened their technical team with the appointment of highly qualified Brazilian fitness coach Diogo Missena Perpétuo, FARPost can reveal.
The 40-year-old joins the reigning African champions from Brazilian top-flight outfit Esporte Clube Bahia, where he worked in the senior team’s performance department.
Missena arrived in South Africa earlier this week and immediately got down to work at Chloorkop. He has been overseeing the players who did not travel to Durban for Sundowns’ Betway Premiership clash against Golden Arrows.
Although his exact position at the club is yet to be confirmed, Missena replaces Danish coach Mathias Zangenberg, who served as Sundowns’ head of physical performance. Zangenberg left the Brazilians at the end of last season and has since joined Danish Superliga side Brøndby.
DIOGO MISSENA BRINGS 12 YEARS OF BRAZILIAN EXPERIENCE
Born in Brazil on 23 November 1985, Missena has spent more than a decade in professional football. His experience spans youth development and preparing senior players for the demands of top-flight football in Brazil.
He began his coaching journey at Botafogo in 2014, initially working as a fitness coach in the club’s academy. Missena worked with several youth age groups before earning an opportunity to work with the first team.By 2020, he was serving as an assistant fitness coach for Botafogo’s senior side. He later became a permanent member of the first-team conditioning staff and was given greater responsibility when Lúcio Flávio took interim charge in October 2023.
Missena moved to Bahia in 2024, joining the club’s performance department under head coach Rogério Ceni. Bahia are part of the City Football Group, which acquired a 90% stake in the Brazilian club in May 2023.
He was also part of Bahia’s technical team when the club lifted the Copa do Nordeste for a fifth time last season.
The Brazilian holds a degree in Physical Education from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. He also completed a postgraduate specialisation in Football Sciences at the same institution and holds a CONMEBOL/CBF A Licence.
His expertise includes injury prevention, muscular strength testing, rehabilitation support and the use of sports-science technology to identify movement patterns that could affect a player’s performance.
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