João Henriques appointed as new head coach of CD Nacional

João Henriques has been appointed as the new head coach of CD Nacional, the club confirmed. The 53-year-old Portuguese strategist takes charge of the Madeira-based side competing in the top tier of Portuguese football.

Henriques becomes the third coach to lead Nacional during the current campaign. He replaces Alexandre Santos, who had previously taken over from João Gião at the helm of the team.

The appointment comes as Nacional sits in 15th place in the league standings. The club has accumulated seven points from its first nine rounds of matches this season.

Henriques has signed a contract with Nacional that runs until the end of the current season. His tenure begins with an away fixture against Arouca scheduled for Sunday, 1 November.

Slovenian football fans may recall Henriques for his time at NK Olimpija Ljubljana in 2023. During his stint, he guided the club to a historic qualification for the group stage of the Conference League.

His period with Olimpija ended in October 2023 after 21 official matches. His record included nine wins, four draws and eight defeats before his departure.

Prior to joining Nacional, Henriques was in charge of Portuguese club AVS. He was unable to prevent the team from being relegated from the elite division in the previous season.