He is well known in Brazil as the manager who tried to introduce the libero position in Brazilian football.[3] He used the 3–5–2 scheme during the 1990 FIFA World Cup, but it was a failure, and Brazil was eliminated in the second round by Argentina.[3]
When he was the Brazil national team head coach, in 35 matches, he won 21, drew seven and lost seven.[3]
He took over the Qatar national team on 1 August 2011 as a replacement for Milovan Rajevac, but was ultimately fired four months later as a result of the team's unimpressive performances. The QFA highlighted his failure to advance past the group stage of the 2011 Pan Arab Games, which Qatar had hosted, as a main cause of his sacking. His record with the team ended with two wins, five draws and two losses.[5] He was officially sacked on 3 January 2012 after his contract was released by QFA.[citation needed]
Lazaroni was last in charge of Qatar SC for the third time in his career following spells with the Doha based club between 2008 and 2011 and 2012 and 2014.[2] His third spell ended in disappointment and he was dismissed in May 2016 after the club's relegation from Qatar Stars League.[citation needed]