In 2008, Da Rosa was at French side, AS Roquebrune-Cap-Martin and 15 years later, he had traversed the length and breadth of the football landscape, landing in Gaborone to take up the Zebras gig. Around 8pm on Tuesday, Da Rosa's assignment number 18 folded in abrupt but satisfying circumstances. Hours later, he was heading straight to job 19, this time up north in Libya with Al-Ahly Tripoli. The Frenchman arrived as a largely anonymous touchline technician to take up the Zebras post at the height of the energy-sapping heat waves of October 2023.
He had been handpicked to succeed Mogomotsi 'Teenage' Mpote as repair works to fix a Zebras side that had lost its bearings and failed to yield results. However, Da Rosa touched down amidst concerns over his nomadic tendencies that had seen the 55-year-old check in and out across continents. His coaching journey has taken him to Europe, Asia, and Africa and references keep piling on his curriculum vitae. Da Rosa has literally turned into a journeyman, struggling to stitch together longer spells in charge. “When you coach a big club or a national team, the expectations are very high. The job is very demanding and for sure when you lose once or twice, things can be difficult. But I am not a voyager or a traveller. I want to be at a place where I can be comfortable,” he said. “I stayed two years in Niger, Ethiopia, and Cameroon. It is my wish to be in one country for two, three, or four years so that I can work on something. I hope the leaders will give me time to showcase my capabilities,” the 55-year-old told MmegiSport immediately after taking up the Zebras role last year. Da Rosa's stay was met with resistance particularly in the corridors of the Ministry of Youth, Gender, Sport, and Culture after Minister Tumiso Rakgare did not sanction funds to pay the coach. Rakgare had preferred the appointment of a local, and the development came amidst frosty relations between the Botswana Football Association (BFA) and the minister.
