André Zanotta
Chief Soccer Officer/Sporting Director
Zanotta was named Technical Director on Jan. 30, 2019 and the Chief Soccer Officer/Sporting Director heading into the 2024 season.
Under his direction, FC Dallas has broken its incoming transfer record twice with the acquisitions of Alan Velasco from Club Atlético Independiente in 2022 and Petar Musa from S.L. Benfica in 2024. Zanotta also helped Dallas set two outgoing transfer records with the sales of Homegrown products Bryan Reynolds to A.S. Roma in 2021 and Ricardo Pepi to FC Augsburg the following season.
Zanotta was previously executive director of Brazilian first-division team Grêmio where he was part of the club’s success in the 2017 Copa Libertadores, 2018 Recopa Sudamericana and 2018 Campeonato Gaúcho. The club also reached the final of the FIFA Club World Cup in 2017. Prior to his work at Grêmio, Zanotta was sporting director of Santos FC where he was instrumental in the sale of Brazilian superstar Neymar from Santos to FC Barcelona in 2013.
At Grêmio, Zanotta oversaw the planning and execution of many of the club’s technical operations including player acquisitions, hiring, as well as contract negotiations and renewals. Aside from the club’s day-to-day operations, Zanotta endeavored to create a positive atmosphere by aligning the players and management with the club’s executive and technical commission. He also served as the club’s official representative in meetings with the South American Football Federation (CONMEBOL), soccer’s governing body for the continent.
Zanotta served as sporting director for Santos FC from 2012 to 2015 before transitioning into an executive director position at Sport Recife. A trained lawyer, Zanotta’s connection to the sports industry emerged when he began working on player training contracts for the Brazilian Football Federation (CBF) and other Brazilian soccer clubs. To further his career in soccer, Zanotta enrolled in the prestigious FIFA Master program, receiving an MBA in Management, Law and Humanities of Sport in 2010. Zanotta is currently completing the FIFA Diploma in Club Management which is aimed at providing club executives from all around the world with the latest practical know-how and insights from the industry, covering key areas in the successful management of football clubs.
In addition to his native Portuguese, Zanotta is fluent in English, Spanish and Italian. In 1997, he spent a year at Northwest High School in Justin, Texas as an exchange student.