He then coached Vasco da Gama until 2008, when he switched to football with Atlético Mineiro.

[3] He returned to Vasco in 2017, as an assistant of the under-20 football side; in 2018, he was named coach of the under-16 team.

[6] On 11 November 2021, Cortez was named interim manager of Vasco until the end of the campaign, after Fernando Diniz was sacked.

[7] He returned to his former role after the appointment of Zé Ricardo as head coach for the 2022 season.

[8] He was also an interim head coach of the side during the second leg of the 2023 Campeonato Paraense Finals, as the club lost the title to Águia de Marabá.