The 55-year-old Brazilian legend signed a three-year contract with the 2005 UEFA Cup champions on January 9. He takes over from Valery Gazzayev, who resigned at the end of the 2008 season despite taking the club to second place in the Premier League.

CSKA president Yevgeny Giner told Sport-Express that he liked the new trainer’s "eagerness to set himself new targets. This matches the philosophy of our club."

"I hope he will become as sparkling a trainer as he was a player. I remember very well how much I admired him in his playing days," he added.

Zico scored 66 goals in 88 international matches for Brazil. However, despite his glistening past, the 1983 FIFA Player of the Year has a distinct lack of top managerial experience. Prior to taking over as manager of CSKA he was the trainer of Uzbek club Bunyodkor for less than six months. Before this he coached the Japanese national team for four years, and then the Turkish side Fenerbahce.

However, his compatriot, CSKA striker Vagner Love, told the Lancenet website that, "I believe that this trainer can prove himself and achieve success with CSKA." He also noted that Zico had taken Fenerbahce to the last eight of the Champions League.

Some CSKA fans were less than enthusiastic, a number of them predicting on Internet forums that Zico’s reign would be as fruitless as that of Artur Jorge, the Portuguese trainer who saw a distinct lack of success at the former Red Army club from 2002-2003.

Another, more cruelly, commented that, "Hurray! We have a trainer from the Uzbek championship!"

Zico’s first match in charge of the Moscow club is away to English side Aston Villa on 18 February in a UEFA Cup Round of 32 first leg tie.