Émerson Leão (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈɛmeʁsõ leˈɐ̃w]; born 11 July 1949) is a Brazilian former football goalkeeper and manager. He is regarded by pundits as one of best Brazilian goalkeepers of all time.[1][2] A documentary video produced by FIFA, FIFA Fever, called him the third-most impressive defense player of all time. He was born in Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo.

Émerson Leão
Leão in 1982
Personal information
Full name Émerson Leão
Date of birth (1949-07-11) 11 July 1949 (age 75)
Place of birth Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
Height 1.84 m (6 ft 12 in)
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1968–1970 Comercial
1971–1978 Palmeiras 163 (0)
1978–1980 Vasco da Gama 24 (0)
1981–1982 Grêmio 46 (0)
1983 Corinthians 13 (0)
1984–1985 Palmeiras 31 (0)
1986 Sport Recife 30 (0)
Total 277 (0)
International career
1969–1986 Brazil 80 (0)
Managerial career
1987–1988 Sport Recife
1988–1989 Coritiba
1989–1990 Palmeiras
1990–1992 Portuguesa
1990–1991 São José
1991–1992 XV de Piracicaba
1992–1994 Shimizu S-Pulse
1995–1996 Juventude
1996 Atlético Paranaense
1996 Verdy Kawasaki
1997–1998 Atlético Mineiro
1998–1999 Santos
1999 Internacional
2000 Grêmio
2000 Sport Recife
2000–2001 Brazil
2002–2004 Santos
2004 Cruzeiro
2004–2005 São Paulo
2005 Vissel Kobe
2005–2006 Palmeiras
2006 São Caetano
2006–2007 Corinthians
2007 Atlético Mineiro
2008 Santos
2008–2009 Al-Sadd
2009 Atlético Mineiro
2009 Sport Recife
2010 Goiás
2011–2012 São Paulo
2012 São Caetano
Medal record
Men's Football
Representing  Brazil
FIFA World Cup
Winner 1970 Mexico
Third place 1978 Argentina
Copa América
Runner-up 1983
Third place 1979
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Playing career

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Leão training during the 1974 World Cup

He was a FIFA World Cup champion in 1970 as a reserve player, at age 20. He then played the two following World Cups as first team player. He was the first Brazilian goalkeeper in history to be team captain (during the 1978 World Cup). Dida repeated the feat in 2006 in a group stage match against Japan. In the 1986 World Cup, Leão was a reserve player.

He played 80 times for the Brazil national football team. At club level, he played for several clubs, his longest term being at Palmeiras, where he won several titles, like Campeonato Brasileiro and Campeonato Paulista.

Managerial career

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Leão has been a manager since 1987. He was São Paulo manager in 2005, winning the Campeonato Paulista of that year. He then moved to Vissel Kobe of Japan, where he stayed for only four matches. On 18 July 2005, he became the manager of Palmeiras, a position he held until March 2006. His peak as a manager was his second stint with Santos, between 2002 and 2004, when he won the Campeonato Brasileiro in 2002, and was runner-up in both Copa Libertadores de América and Campeonato Brasileiro in 2003. Leão is often seen as a hardliner, since he demands perfect physical shape of his players, along with discipline and mutual respect. He is not fond of having well-known players on his teams, since he believes that this might cause relationship problems within the squad.

He was the manager of the Brazil nation team from 15 November 2000 until 9 June 2001. From 11 matches, his Brazil side won 4, drew 4 and lost 3. Like his predecessor Vanderlei Luxemburgo, he struggled having top players available for qualifying matches. He tried to centre the squad around Romário and younger players with little international experience. He also became the first sitting coach to travel to Europe to assess his players' activities there, where he was asked by the Europeans to not release Rivaldo and Roberto Carlos for matches that were not crucial.

Leão was dismissed by Atlético Mineiro on 4 May 2009 following a defeat to arch-rivals Cruzeiro in the final of a regional championship. This ended his third stint as Atlético head coach.[3] On 3 June 2009, Sport Recife's have signed the coach for the up-coming 2009 Brasileirão championship.[4] On 26 April 2010, Leão was named as the new manager of Goiás. On 24 October 2011, São Paulo announced it had hired Leão for a second managerial spell in charge of the club.[5]

On 30 August 2012, after two months unattached, Leão was hired by São Caetano, then participating in Série B.[6]

Controversies

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Leão is known for his controversial attitudes and declarations.

In 1997, after a game between his Atlético Mineiro and Argentine side Lanús in the Conmebol Cup final, Leão was involved in a massive fight with adversaries. Leão had to rebuild his face after the incident.[citation needed]

In 2002, when he coached Santos, and Peixe faced Paysandu, Leão was involved again in a fight. This time, when his players faced policemen, the coach received an aggression in his eyes by a pepper spray.

In 2006, then coaching Palmeiras, Leão had problems with television pundit Milton Neves, that had kicked another television pundit, Sílvio Luiz, according to Leão. Leão said to Neves: "When you kicked Silvio Luiz's ass, a 70-year-old man, you boasted. Come to kick mine!"[7]

In 2010, training Goiás, Leão discussed again with two another television pundits, Renata Fan and Neto. According to Leão, Neto "would not have psychological conditions to speak in a television channel". But the problems between them would happen since 1989, when Leão coached Neto in Palmeiras.[8][9]

In 2013, in a research made by sports site UOL Esporte, Leão was elected the worst coach from Brazil. He had 16 votes. Celso Roth was chosen the second one.[10]

Again in 2013, Leão said that Juvenal Juvêncio, president of São Paulo, club that he coached for two times (between 2004 and 2005 and, after, between 2011 and 2012), should abdicate, for his age, of his position, making like pope Benedict XVI. Juvêncio answered to Leão, saying that the coach "needs to find another job soon".[11][12]

Career statistics

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Club

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[13]

Club performance League
Season Club League Apps Goals
Brazil League
1971 Palmeiras Série A 24 0
1972 26 0
1973 36 0
1974 0 0
1975 26 0
1976 21 0
1977 18 0
1978 12 0
1979 Vasco da Gama Série A 14 0
1980 10 0
1981 Grêmio Série A 23 0
1982 23 0
1983 Corinthians Série A 13 0
1984 Palmeiras Série A 14 0
1985 17 0
1986 Sport Recife Série A 0 0
Country Brazil 277 0
Total 277 0

International

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Brazil national team
Year Apps Goals
1969 0 0
1970 2 0
1971 0 0
1972 4 0
1973 5 0
1974 15 0
1975 0 0
1976 5 0
1977 13 0
1978 12 0
1979 8 0
1980 0 0
1981 0 0
1982 0 0
1983 14 0
1984 0 0
1985 0 0
1986 2 0
Total 80 0

Managerial

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[14]

Team From To Record
G W D L Win %
Shimizu S-Pulse 1993 1994 58 40 0 18 068.97
Verdy Kawasaki 1996 1996 18 13 0 5 072.22
Vissel Kobe 2005 2005 4 1 1 2 025.00
Total 80 54 1 25 067.50

Honours

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Player

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Club
Palmeiras
Vasco
Grêmio
Corinthians
Brazil

Individual

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Manager

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Sport
Shimizu S Pulse
  • 1992 – Kanagawa Cup
Verdy Kawasaki
Atlético Mineiro
Santos
  • 1998 – Copa Conmebol
  • 2002 – Campeonato Brasileiro
São Paulo
  • 2005 – Campeonato Paulista

See also

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List of Brazil national football team managers

References

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  1. ^ "Brazil's greatest goalkeepers". Sky Sports. July 2, 2010. Archived from the original on March 17, 2018. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
  2. ^ Christopher Atkins (January 10, 2013). "Ranking Brazil's 10 Best Goalkeepers of All Time". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on August 12, 2018. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
  3. ^ Leao fired by Atletico Mineiro Archived October 15, 2012, at the Wayback Machine ESPN Soccernet Retrieved on May 4, 2009
  4. ^ "Emerson Leão é o novo treinador do Sport". O Globo. June 3, 2009. Retrieved June 3, 2009.
  5. ^ "Emerson Leao hired as Sao Paulo manager for the second time in his career". Fox Sports. October 24, 2011.
  6. ^ "Emerson Leão é o novo treinador do São Caetano" (in Portuguese). Gazeta Esportiva. August 30, 2012. Archived from the original on September 1, 2012. Retrieved August 30, 2012.
  7. ^ Emerson Leão chama Milton Neves para briga on YouTube
  8. ^ "Cueca, agressões e ironias; relembre 25 polêmicas de Leão". Archived from the original on May 31, 2013. Retrieved March 17, 2013.
  9. ^ "Emerson Leão faz duras críticas a Neto e Renata Fan". Archived from the original on May 12, 2013. Retrieved March 17, 2013.
  10. ^ "Jogadores elegem Emerson Leão como o pior técnico em pesquisa do UOL Esporte". Archived from the original on January 17, 2013. Retrieved March 17, 2013.
  11. ^ "Leão dá dica a Juvenal: 'Faça como o Papa, renuncie pela idade'". Archived from the original on March 16, 2013. Retrieved March 17, 2013.
  12. ^ "Juvenal Juvêncio responde a Leão: 'Precisa arrumar um emprego logo'". Archived from the original on March 18, 2013. Retrieved March 17, 2013.
  13. ^ Émerson Leão at National-Football-Teams.com
  14. ^ J.League Data Site Archived January 27, 2017, at the Wayback Machine(in Japanese)
  15. ^ "Matches of FIFA XI". Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  • Enciclopédia do Futebol Brasileiro, Volume 2 – Lance, Rio de Janeiro: Aretê Editorial S/A, 2001.
  • Seleção Brasileira – 90 Anos – Rio de Janeiro: MAUAD, 2004.
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