Mariano Bareto

Mariano Bareto inherited an Ethiopian side that had qualified to their first Africa Cup of Nations in 36 years and were but two matches from qualifying from the World Cup. However, coach Sewnat Bishaw was unjustly fired, and Bareto was called in to replace him. Bareto just had to maintain this squad’s core to continue winning momentum. But the Portuguese coach preferred to break from the path laid out to him and experiment with debutants like Natnael Zeleke, Shimelis Tegne, and Mentsenot Adane.