He led Chaves, Aves, Moreirense, Gil Vicente and Estoril in the Primeira Liga, had a brief spell at Al Ahly in Egypt and spent one year in the Chinese Super League with Beijing Guoan.

[11] On 18 December 2019, with his Covilhã team ranked seventh, Soares returned to the top flight by succeeding sacked Vítor Campelos at the helm of Moreirense FC.

[15] In June 2022, Soares moved abroad for the first time in his career, paying €250,000 to release himself from his Gil Vicente contract ahead of a two-year deal at Egypt's Al Ahly SC.

[16] On his debut on 2 July, the team won 2–0 at home to Petrojet SC in the semi-finals of the national cup;[17] his Premier League bow was a goalless draw at El Gouna FC three days later.

[18] In the cup final on 21 July 2022, Soares' side lost 2–1 to local rivals Zamalek SC, led by veteran compatriot Jesualdo Ferreira.

[19] He was dismissed on 31 August, having failed to take the league title back from the same adversary; having slipped behind a third Cairo side, Pyramids FC, Al Ahly finished outside the top two for the first time since 1991–92.