Caio Júnior

Luiz Carlos Sarolli (8 March 1965 – 28 November 2016), known as Caio Júnior or Caio Jr., was a Brazilian football forward and coach.

He spent his 14-year professional career in Brazil and Portugal, notably amassing Primeira Liga totals of 140 games and 31 goals in the latter nation in representation of three teams, mainly Vitória de Guimarães.

Caio Júnior started working as a manager in 2002, going on to be in charge of a host of clubs. In 2016, whilst at the service of Chapecoense, he died in an aviation incident in Colombia.

Playing career Born in Cascavel, Paraná, Caio Júnior's Série A input consisted of 37 games and nine goals combined for Grêmio, Internacional and Paraná, during four seasons. In 1987, he moved to Portugal where he would remain for the next eight years, starting out at Vitória Guimarães in the Minho Province.

Caio Júnior made his debut in the Primeira Liga on 23 August 1987, coming on as a 67th-minute substitute in a 2–2 away draw against Varzim. He finished his first season with eight goals from 31 appearances, helping his team to finish in 14th place as well as the third round of the UEFA Cup.

Having returned to his homeland at the age of 31, and with the exception of Paraná in 1997, Caio Júnior competed exclusively in the lower leagues until his retirement.

Coaching career On 21 January 2009, Caio Júnior was appointed as coach of Brazil, replacing Dunga. On 16 June, Brazil withdrew the offer to Caio Júnior on Facebook.

On 27 February 2014, Caio Júnior was appointed as coach of Criciúma. In June of that year, he returned to the UAE Pro League, after signing for Al Shabab in the same capacity.

Caio Júnior signed with Chapecoense on 25 June 2016. He took the team to the final of the Copa Sudamericana, after disposing of Argentina's San Lorenzo on the away goals rule.

Death On 28 November 2016, whilst travelling with Chapecoense to the aforementioned finals, 51-year-old Caio Júnior was among the fatalities of the LaMia Flight 2933 accident in the Colombian village of Cerro Gordo, La Unión, Antioquia. Shortly after having reached the decisive match in the competition, he uttered: "If I died tomorrow I'd die a happy man".

Honours Player Grêmio Campeonato Gaúcho: 1985, 1986, 1987

Vitória Guimarães Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 1988

Estrela Amadora Segunda Liga: 1992–93

Internacional Campeonato Gaúcho: 1994

Paraná Campeonato Paranaense: 1997

Individual Campeonato Gaúcho: Top Scorer 1985 (15 goals)

Coach Al-Gharafa Qatar Stars League: 2009–10 Qatari Stars Cup: 2009

Al-Jazira UAE President's Cup: 2012

Vitória Campeonato Baiano: 2013

Chapecoense Copa Sudamericana: 2016 (posthumously)

Managerial statistics