Palmeiras signs ex-Guangzhou Evergrande coach Scolari

Out of a job for more than eight months, Big Phil finally returns to action.

Former Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has signed a contract with Sao Paulo giants Palmeiras, returning home after three successful years at Guangzhou Evergrande.

Palmeiras made the announcement on their official website on late Thursday. Scolari's contract is valid until 2020.

On Wednesday, the club fired Scolari's predecessor Roger Machado after a 1-0 defeat at Fluminense in the 15th round of the Brazilian championship.

The 69-year-old Scolari led Brazil to their record fifth world title in 2002, but was also the coach in the 7-1 hammering by Germany in the 2014 World Cup semifinal on home soil.

He left the national team after the humiliating defeat and spent a brief spell at Gremio, with whom he rose to prominence in Brazil, before moving to Guangzhou where he won three consecutive Chinese Super League titles and an Asian Champions League crown.

His return to Palmeiras marks the third time Scolari has taken charge of the club with whom he won one of his two Copa Libertadores titles, in 1999.

However, his last spell with the team was in 2014, when the team was relegated in the national championship.