[citation needed] He was the preferred goalkeeper for the winning campaign in the Copa del Rey in the latter season, although Javier Irureta played Molina in the final victory over Real Madrid.

[6] José Mourinho's Porto paid €3 million to sign Espírito Santo in July 2002, as part of the deal that saw Jorge Andrade join Deportivo.

[7] During a 2003 Taça de Portugal match against Varzim, he was allowed by Mourinho to convert a penalty kick, scoring the club's last goal in a 7–0 home win.

[9] On 12 December, he replaced club great Vítor Baía during extra time of the 2004 Intercontinental Cup final penalty shoot-out victory against Once Caldas.

[14] Espírito Santo again played second-fiddle to Helton during the 2008–09 season, appearing in only four games, but was the starter throughout the domestic cup campaign, including the 1–0 final win against Paços de Ferreira.

[20] After his retirement, he rejoined former Porto manager Jesualdo Ferreira, moving to Málaga as a goalkeeping coach, before the pair signed for Panathinaikos in November.

[25] Espírito Santo signed a one-year contract with Valencia in La Liga on 4 July 2014, replacing Juan Antonio Pizzi.

[26] On 12 January 2015, he agreed to an extension to keep him at the club until 2018,[27] and he eventually led them to a fourth place finish in his first season,[28] Highlights included a 2–1 home win over Real Madrid and a 2–2 away draw against the same opponent,[29][30] while he was named La Liga Manager of the Month three times/[31] He resigned on 29 November 2015, following a 1–0 away defeat to Sevilla, after a poor start to both Valencia's La Liga and Champions League campaigns.

[39] On 31 May 2017, Espírito Santo was named as the new head coach of EFL Championship club Wolverhampton Wanderers, signing a three-year contract.

[41] Espírito Santo led the club to the Premier League after a six-year absence, achieving promotion with four matches remaining in the season[42] and being confirmed as champions with two games to spare.

[50] He was named the Premier League Manager of the Month for October with a run of four fixtures unbeaten, including three wins without conceding; this was the third time he had received the award.

[53] On 30 June 2021, Tottenham Hotspur announced Espírito Santo as their new head coach on a two-year contract with an option to extend for a third year.

[56] On 1 November, after his team lost 3–0 at home to Manchester United, their fifth loss in seven matches and which left them ninth in the table, Espírito Santo was dismissed after less than four months in charge.

[62] Espírito Santo was dismissed on 8 November 2023, two days after a 2–0 loss to Iraqi club Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya in the 2023–24 AFC Champions League.

[63][64] On 20 December 2023, Espírito Santo was appointed head coach of Premier League club Nottingham Forest, following the dismissal of Steve Cooper.

[67][68] On the final day of the season, Espírito Santo led Forest to a 2–1 away win over Burnley to secure the club's survival from relegation with a 17th-placed finish in the league.