He then spent just over a season as manager of Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League, followed by a brief spell at Brazilian club Botafogo before returning to Benfica in 2024.
[11][12] He managed his first Primeira Liga game in a 4–2 home win over Rio Ave on 6 January, and was appointed permanent head coach eight days later.
[13][14] One of Lage's first decisions was to begin regularly starting teenage playmaker João Félix, who had scored twice in the triumph over Rio Ave.
[24] On 14 February in his UEFA Europa League debut, Benfica won in Turkey for the first time in their history, beating Galatasaray 2–1 in the first leg of the round of 32.
[27] Benfica were eliminated from the Europa League at the quarter-finals stage by Eintracht Frankfurt on the away goals rule, having won 4–2 at home before falling to a 2–0 defeat at the Waldstadion on 18 April.
[28] With Benfica's 2–1 away victory in O Clássico on 2 March 2019, Lage won his third of four clashes against rivals Sporting CP and Porto, equaling the same number of wins Rui Vitória achieved in 16 matches.
With a 94% winning percentage, he surpassed Jimmy Hagan's record at Benfica and achieved Primeira Liga's all-time best second round: 49 points from 19 games.
[31] On 17 September, he made his UEFA Champions League debut in a 2–1 home defeat to German side RB Leipzig, continuing Benfica's record in the competition of having lost 11 times in the last 14 games.
[43][44] In June 2021, Lage was lined up to succeed compatriot Nuno Espírito Santo at Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers.
[50] Further additions were made to the first-team in the form of goalkeeper José Sá and the loan signing of Korean forward Hwang Hee-chan.
[51][52] Sá would go on to win Wolves' player of the season award that year after a string of impressive performances, and was credited for his sweeper keeper role, which allowed Lage to adopt a strategy of building attacks from the back of defence.
[56] Despite not winning any of their opening three league fixtures, Lage's side was praised for their attacking playing style, with supporters dubbing it "Bruno-ball".
[59] Relying on the players favoured by Espírito Santo and adopting a similar style of play, Lage's first season was described as "evolution rather than revolution.
[61] It took until Lage's fourth league game at home to record a win, a 2–1 success against Newcastle United on 2 October, with both Wolves strikes coming from Hwang Hee-chan.
[68][69] A strong run over the winter months led to praise for what Lage had achieved in his time at Wolves with limited backing in the transfer market, and he was credited with getting an improvement out of younger players such as Rayan Aït-Nouri and Max Kilman.
[74] However, a late defeat away to fellow European challengers Arsenal in the next game caused Wolves to fall behind in the race for continental competition.
Goalkeeper John Ruddy and defenders Marçal and Romain Saiss were released, with Ki-Jana Hoever and Fábio Silva both sent out on season-long loans.
[95] Towards the end of the month, Austrian striker Saša Kalajdžić also signed for Wolves, and on deadline day Boubacar Traoré joined the club on loan.
With news that Kalajdžić would be out for a significant length of time due to an ACL tear, leaving Wolves without a fit senior striker, Lage signed free agent Diego Costa on 12 September.
[116][117] On 8 July 2023, after almost a year without coaching, Lage was announced at Campeonato Brasileiro Série A side Botafogo, replacing compatriot Luís Castro.
[119] Lage returned to Benfica on 5 September 2024, being appointed as the club's new head coach, signing a 18-month contract, following the sacking of Roger Schmidt the previous four days.
[122] On 10 November, Benfica recorded their biggest competitive league win against Porto in 60 years with a 4–1 home victory, a result not seen since a 4–0 defeat in the 1964–65 season.
[123] On 11 January 2025, Lage won his first league cup final, as Benfica defeated Sporting CP on penalties following a 1–1 draw in normal time.