On a December night in Tokyo 8½ years ago, the best team in Europe took on the best side from South America in what used to be quaintly conceived as club football’s one-off championship of the world. The northern hemisphere club were Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United, their opponents Palmeiras. Ahead of United’s 1-0 win, the Brazilians’ head coach was portrayed as a man who encouraged his players to go in hard, play brutally. After the defeat, Luiz Felipe Scolari praised United’s teamwork.

Later, we were to grow accustomed to Felipao, or “Big Phil” Scolari ending up on the winning side against English teams. England lost to his Brazil in Japan at the 2002 World Cup, when he got the best out of the three Rs, Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho, and twice to Scolari’s next team, Portugal, at Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup, both on penalties. It was as though his Gene Hackman face was on our television screens every other summer, victorious, almost as often as re-runs of Mississippi Burning or The Firm.

However, the idea that Felipao and Fergie might renew acquaintances as part of a local squabble between United, once again Champions League finalists, and Manchester City seems mildly surreal. Scolari has put down roots in Portugal and his status guarantees that even if he resigns as Portugal coach, tempting offers would probably come from southern Europe. He has led national teams to first, second and fourth places in the past three major tournaments and has been approached by more glamorous institutions than City.

At the top end there was Barcelona, who pressed for Scolari to join them as Portugal were offering him the deal he still honours, until the end of Euro 2008; around the middle bracket, Celtic long ago identified him as a good man to take them over. Scolari told me “two or three English clubs” had been interested in the past. He rejected the England job in 2005 before repeating his knack of putting Sven-Göran Eriksson’s England teams out of every tournament they reach.

Scolari has indicated that Euro 2008 would be his last adventure with Portugal, where he was not an entirely popular choice four years ago, simply because he was not Portuguese. He promptly took them further in a major tournament than they had been in two decades and followed up with a World Cup semi-final, their first for 40 years. Should Portugal not make at least the last four this year it will be a failure. Scolari has Cristiano Ronaldo and four others – Deco, Ricardo Carvalho, Paulo Ferriera and Nani – who played in the Champions League semi-finals.

For all their talent, Scolari’s Portugal made heavy weather of qualifying, needing to avoid defeat against Finland in their final match. The qualifying tournament was notable for the reappearance of Scolari’s touch-line temper. At the end of a feisty tie against Serbia he punched opposition player Ivica Dragutinovic. This was Big Phil playing “The Sheriff”, as he used to be known in Brazil, a roll-up-his-sleeves vigilante. Scolari said he had responded to insults – in Spanish, which Dragutinovic speaks – against his family and was protecting Ricardo Quaresma, whom a pair of Serbs had been hounding.

It was not the first time. His rival as the pre-eminent coach in Brazilian domestic football during the 1990s, Wanderley Luxemburgo, said: “You have to understand with Felipao, he comes from a part of the country that’s just harder. He’s from the south, you see.” When I asked Scolari about that observation, he said: “I’m direct. I’m frank in what I say and I’m not a politician, whereas there are some managers who are politicians.”

Scolari may be no politician, but he is worldly. Before coaching national teams, he had accumulated a long CV with clubs in Brazil, across the Middle East and in Japan. By the time he took on United, he had guided Palmeiras to a Copa Libertadores – South America’s premier club prize – and a Brazilian Cup, and the reputation for roughhouse football had taken root. “It wasn’t really fair,” remembers his striker Alex. “We played some very good football.” Nor was the idea that his management style was pure martinet. Juninho, the former Middlesbrough player, describes a warm, protective and sensitive boss: “He appreciates hard work, but also has a good sense of humour and gets very close to the players.”

The 2002 triumph of Scolari’s Brazilians happened after a dreadful qualifying campaign. The coach was also certain - against widespread popular lobbying – that Romario would not be required and that Ronaldo, injured for the best part of three years, would be crucial. It was faith rewarded: Ronaldo was brilliant, the tournament’s top goalscorer.

He has braved some unpopular decisions with Portugal, too, notably ahead of Euro 2004, when he came in for criticism from the then Porto manager, one Jose Mourinho, for not selecting enough of his players. He took a sulking Luis Figo off in the quarter-final against England, and the fact that the two goals against Eriksson’s team were scored by substitutes that Scolari had introduced gave him a conspicuous feather in his cap. “He has installed a winning mentality to Portugal,” says Deco, whom Scolari picked in the face of some suspicion that Deco, born and raised in Brazil, might not have the Portuguese flag tattooed on his heart. Felipao may not either, but making a home near the Mediterranean was always a more plausible choice than one in Manchester.

Eriksson v Scolari: why Sven must be sick of the sight of the Brazilian

June 2002
SHIZUOKA, WORLD CUP 2002, QF

Brazil 2 (Rivaldo, Ronaldinho) England 1 (Owen)

Eriksson’s England took a lead and then seemed to wilt in the heat, the hammer blows delivered by Rivaldo and Ronaldinho’s arching free kick past goalkeeper David Seaman. ‘It was deliberate,’ the victorious Scolari said of Ronaldinho’s execution. ‘It wasn’t just luck’

June 2004
LISBON, EURO 2004, QF

Portugal 2 (Postiga, Rui Costa) England 2 (Owen, Lampard) Portugal win 6-5 on pens

Michael Owen put England ahead in four minutes, before Helder Postiga - a flop at Tottenham - scored to force extra-time. The game went to penalties and David Beckham missed, while goalkeeper Ricardo scored Portugal’s clincher

July 2006
GELSENKIRCHEN, WORLD CUP 2006, QF

Portugal 0 England 0 Portugal win 3-1 on pens

Less vivid over 120 minutes than the previous encounter, and uglier. Wayne Rooney was sent off, right, for apparently landing his studs in Ricardo Carvalho’s groin; Cristiano Ronaldo became vilifi ed for winking at teammates after Rooney’s dismissal. Penalties again and this time Ricardo was the hero for his goalkeeping

February 2004
ALGARVE, FRIENDLY (Pauleta) England 1 (King)

A warm-up for Euro 2004, and an indicator that these two countries under these two coaches tended to find themselves on even terms after 90 minutes. Typically, Eriksson’s team scored first; typically, Scolari’s came back

Scolari’s record

Luiz Felipe Scolari spent much of his managerial career in Brazilian club football, but has also worked in Japan, the Middle East and Portugal 1991 Criciuma EC - Brazilian Cup (1991) 1993-96 Gremio - Brazilian Cup (1994); Copa Libertadores (1995); South American Cup-Winners’ Cup (1995); Brazilian league (1996). World Club Cup runners-up (1995). 2001-2 Brazil - World Cup winners (2002) 2003-8 Portugal, runners-up, Euro 2004. Beat Sven-Göran Eriksson’s England at Euro 2004 and again at the 2006 World Cup

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