Globetrotting managers Vitor Pereira and Ange Postecoglou cross paths again

The pair first went head-to-head long before landing in the English top-flight and have both enjoyed nomadic careers across all four corners of the globe. 

Wolves chief Pereira has managed no fewer than 14 clubs in eight different nations during a managerial career spanning across three decades. 

His counterpart Postecoglou started his career in the dugout in 1996 and has managed in his native Australia, Japan, Greece and Scotland before joining Tottenham Hotspur in 2023. 

Both have achieved success along the way with Pereira collecting back-to-back Primeira Liga titles with Porto in 2012 and 2013 respectively, before lifting league championships in Greece and China. 

Postecoglou had won trophies in every job prior to joining Spurs and drew Pereira's Shanghai SIPG in the AFC Champions League group stage after leading Yokohama F Marinos to the J-League title in 2019. 

Pereira had ended Guangzhou Evergrande's seemingly unstoppable run of seven successive Chinese Super League titles by spearheading Shanghai to their first ever top-flight league crown in 2018. 

Guangzhou resumed their dominance by reclaiming the title the following campaign but Shanghai booked a spot at the AFC Champions League in Qatar courtesy of a third-place finish. 

Postecoglou transformed Yokohama into a goal scoring machine with the Marinos averaging a remarkable two goals per game throughout their title-winning campaign. 

In contrast, defensive foundations were key for Shanghai with Pereira's side conceding less than a goal per game across his first two full seasons at the helm.

Shanghai faced a gruelling schedule of six games in the space of 16 games in November 2020 which included a mouth-watering double header against Yokohama, with both sides vying for top spot. 

Postecoglou came off on top in the first fixture with a slender 1-0 win as Brazilian international Oscar missed a penalty for Shanghai.   

Oscar made amends for his penalty miss by setting up Ricardo Lopes' winner which propelled Shanghai to the top of the group. 

Both would progress to the knockout stages but ultimately suffer elimination in the Round of 16.

But the experience had clearly not left Pereira who was gushing with praise ahead of his reunion with Postecoglou prior to the 2-2 draw against Tottenham Hotspur in December.

"They had an incredible team. In my opinion, the style of play was something special - very different," Pereira said in December. 

"I love it [Postecoglou's style]. I appreciate it lot because we competed against each other in Asia. He is a manager with different ideas, very offensive ideas and it means they are a team that can score a lot of goals."

"He did a fantastic job in Japan and now we face each other in England - the world of football. The country of football."