Reigning Brazilian and Copa Libertadores champion Flamengo has appointed former Brazil international goalkeeper Rogerio Ceni as its manager, just hours after sacking Domenec Torrent.

In a statement posted on social media on Tuesday, Flamengo said the 47-year-old agreed to a contract that runs until December 2021 after leaving his post as head coach of Fortaleza.

The announcement came less than a day after Flamengo ended Torrent's turbulent 14-week spell at the club.

The former assistant to Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola led the Rio de Janeiro outfit to 14 wins, four draws and six losses. In his last two league matches in charge, Flamengo lost 4-0 to Atletico Mineiro and 4-1 to Sao Paulo.

Flamengo is currently third in the Brazilian Serie A standings, one point behind leader Internacional. Ceni's first match in charge will be the first leg of the Copa do Brasil quarterfinal tie against Sao Paulo at the Maracana stadium on Wednesday.

Ceni is considered among the most promising of Brazil's younger generation of coaches.

In his first year as Fortaleza's manager in 2018, he guided the small club from northeastern Brazil to the second division title for the first time.

Ceni quit to take charge of Cruzeiro midway through last year, but departed after just two months amid reports of a falling out with senior players.

He returned to Fortaleza almost immediately, leading the side to ninth in the 20-team Serie A standings in 2019. It is currently 11th in the table, 12 points behind leader Internacional at the season's midway point.

Ceni ended his 26-year playing career in 2015 after 1,237 matches for Sao Paulo. He was capped 16 times for Brazil's national team and was a part of the Selecao squad that won the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea.

A specialist free-kick and penalty taker, Ceni is recognized by the Guinness Book of Records as the highest-scoring professional goalkeeper of all time with 131 goals. 

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