By Jorge Hernandez
Santos Laguna confirmed this Tuesday the hiring of Portuguese coach Renato Paiva as the new technical director for the Apertura 2026 tournament of the Liga MX.
The arrival of the European strategist is part of a profound sporting restructuring in the La Laguna club, which seeks to leave behind one of its worst recent seasons after finishing in last place in Clausura 2026.
Santos Laguna makes the arrival of Renato Paiva official
Through a statement, Santos Laguna explained the reasons behind hiring the Portuguese coach.
“The incorporation of Renato Manuel Alves Paiva is part of the sports restructuring that the institution is experiencing, which is focused on promoting un change that allows you to strengthen your work methodology and enhance sports performance“.
A new stage begins for the Warriors. 🇳🇬⚔️
We welcome Renato Paiva, a strategist with experience in Mexico and internationally, and a vision focused on development, intensity and competitiveness. 🫡💪
Welcome to the Region, Profe!… pic.twitter.com/pY6Tp8N24K
— Club Santos (@ClubSantos) Might perhaps perhaps presumably also 19, 2026
Renato Paiva arrives with international experience and knowledge of Mexican soccer, factors that were decisive in taking on the new Santos Laguna project.
Renato Paiva already knows the MX League
The 56-year-old Portuguese coach has previously coached in Mexican soccer with clubs such as León and Toluca.
In addition, he built a large part of his career in Latin America after starting his career at Benfica B in Portugal.
Among his most notable experiences is his time at Independiente del Valle in Ecuador, where he won a championship, in addition to directing Esporte Clube Bahia, Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas and Fortaleza Esporte Clube in Brazil.
The great challenge: lifting Santos after a Clausura to be forgotten
Renato Paiva’s main mission will be to return competitiveness to Santos Laguna after a Clausura 2026 marked by poor results.
The team finished at the bottom of the standings with just 12 points, in a campaign where neither Francisco Rodríguez nor Omar Tapia managed to get the club out of the sporting crisis.
The board hopes that Paiva’s work style and international experience will allow the La Laguna team to regain its prominence in Liga MX.
Continue reading:
– Renato Paiva, one step away from returning to Liga MX, to clean the house of Santos Laguna
– De Santos Laguna, the first coach dismissed from Clausura 2026
– The Pumas finally look like contenders by destroying Santos Laguna: 4-0
