Sylvinho's playing career included spells at Arsenal, Barcelona and Manchester City and he was capped six times by Brazil. Having worked as an assistant to Brazil coach Tite, he managed Lyon for 11 games in 2019 before a season in charge of boyhood club Corinthians. After taking the Albania job in January 2023, Sylvinho steered them to Euro 2024 qualification as Group E winners ahead of the Czech Republic and Poland.