 His career, however, was ended prematurely at age 27 due to successive knee injuries, which caused him to lose mobility in one of the knees.Tite's first managerial job was for Guarani from Garibaldi city, in (1990) before spells at Veranópolis (1992-1993-1994-1995-1998), Ypiranga de Erechim (1996), and Juventude (1997).In 1999, Tite was hired by Caxias, his first club as a professional footballer, leading the team through a surprising campaign in the 2000 Campeonato Gaúcho.