[2] Lopes began his career as a coach at América Mineiro, and achieved the feat of also becoming a champion as a manager by winning the 2000 Copa Sul-Minas.
This boosted his career, causing Lopes to coach teams from different regions of Brazil in the following years, with emphasis on Athletico Parananense, Gama, ABC and Ipatinga, where he accumulated several spells.
He was champion again in 2005, at the state level with ABC, and in the Taça Minas Gerais in a new stint at América Mineiro.
From 2012 to 2016 he was football coordinator at América,[3] indirectly participating in the conquest of the 2016 Campeonato Mineiro (led by Givanildo Oliveira),[4] He would still come to coach Goytacaz, Nacional de Muriaé and União Luziense.
[5] In 2024, citing tiredness and lack of time with his family, Lopes announced his retirement as a coach, dedicating himself solely to sports consultancy.