RIO DE JANEIRO -- Former Brazil and Real Madrid manager Vanderlei Luxemburgo has been appointed head coach of Vasco da Gama, the Rio de Janeiro club said on Wednesday.

The 66-year-old agreed to an eight-month contract that will see him through to the end of the current Brazilian Serie A season, Vasco said in a statement.

He replaces Alberto Valentim, who was sacked on April 21 after a bad run of results.

"I want to say hello to all Vasco fans. We're in this together," Luxemburgo said in a social media post.

Luxemburgo, who has been out of coaching since leaving Sport Recife in October 2017, is the most successful manager in the history of Brazil's Serie A championship with five league titles.

He was Brazil's national team boss from 1998 to 2000 and had an 11-month spell in charge of Real Madrid in 2005.

Luxemburgo's first fixture as Vasco's head coach will be a visit to Jorge Sampaoli's Santos on Sunday.