Émerson Leão
Encyclopedia
Émerson Leão (ˈɛmeʁsõ leˈɐ̃w; born July 11, 1949) is a Brazil
ian manager and former football player. He is one of the all-time best Brazilian goalkeepers. 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.
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 Brazilian national football team
. At the club level, he played for several clubs, his longest term being at Palmeiras
, where he won several titles, like Campeonato Brasileiro
and Campeonato Paulista
.
|1971||rowspan="8"|Palmeiras||rowspan="8"|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||rowspan="2"|Vasco da Gama||rowspan="2"|Série A
||14||0
|-
|1980||10||0
|-
|1981||rowspan="2"|Grêmio
||rowspan="2"|Série A
||23||0
|-
|1982||23||0
|-
|1983||Corinthians||Série A
||13||0
|-
|1984||rowspan="2"|Palmeiras||rowspan="2"|Série A
||14||0
|-
|1985||17||0
|-
|1986||Sport Recife
||Série A
||0||0
277||0
277||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
|}
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 July 18, 2005 he became Palmeiras' manager, a position he held until March, 2006. His peak as a manager was his second period at 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 Brazilian national football team
manager from November 15, 2000 until June 9, 2001. Of eleven matches, he won four, drew four, and lost three. Like his predecessor Vanderlei Luxemburgo
, he struggled having top players available for qualifying matches. He tried to center the team around Romário
and younger players with hardly any 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 May 4, 2009, following a defeat to arch-rivals Cruzeiro
in the final of a regional championship. This is ending his third stint as Atlético manager. On June 3, 2009 Sport Recife
's have signed the coach for the up-coming 2009 Brasileirão championship, Leão was dismissed by Atlético Mineiro
in May. On April 26, 2010 Leão was named as the new Goias Esporte Clube
manager.
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian manager and former football player. He is one of the all-time best Brazilian goalkeepers. A documentary video produced by FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
, FIFA Fever, called him the third-most impressive defense player of all time. He was born in Ribeirão Preto
Ribeirão Preto
Ribeirão Preto is a municipality and city in the Northeastern region of the state of São Paulo in Brazil. It is nicknamed Brazilian California, because of a combination of an economy based on agrobusiness plus high technology, wealth and sunny weather all year long. With 605,114 inhabitants,...
, São Paulo.
Playing career
He was World Cup champion in 1970 as a reserve player, when he was twenty years old. 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). DidaNelson de Jesus Silva
Nélson de Jesus Silva , better known simply as Dida , is a Brazilian former footballer who played as goalkeeper. He first rose to prominence in Brazilian club football in the 1990s with Vitória, Cruzeiro EC and SC Corinthians, where he gained a reputation as a penalty-saving specialist...
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 Brazilian national football team
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
. At the club level, he played for several clubs, his longest term being at Palmeiras
Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras
Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras is a Brazilian football club from São Paulo. The club was founded on August 26, 1914, as Palestra Italia but changed to the current name on September 14, 1942...
, where he won several titles, like Campeonato Brasileiro
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A
The Campeonato Brasileiro de Clubes da Série A , popularly known as the Brasileirão , is a professional football league at the top of the Brazilian football league system held annually since 1959. Contested by twenty clubs, it operates a system of promotion and relegation with the Série B...
and Campeonato Paulista
Campeonato Paulista
The Campeonato Paulista de Futebol Profissional da Primeira Divisão - Série A1, simply known as the Campeonato Paulista, is the top-flight professional football league in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. The league is contested between 20 clubs and typically lasts from January to April...
.
Playing honors
- 1969 – Torneio Roberto Gomes PedrosaTorneio Roberto Gomes PedrosaThe Torneio Roberto Gomes Pedrosa, also known as Taça de Prata, or nicknamed Robertão, was a Brazilian national football competition contested between 1967 and 1970, before the creation of Campeonato Brasileiro in 1971...
and Ramón de Carranza TrophyRamón de Carranza TrophyThe Ramón de Carranza Trophy is a pre-season football tournament organised by Cádiz CF, in memory of its former president, Ramón de Carranza - after whom their stadium is named as well....
(PalmeirasSociedade Esportiva PalmeirasSociedade Esportiva Palmeiras is a Brazilian football club from São Paulo. The club was founded on August 26, 1914, as Palestra Italia but changed to the current name on September 14, 1942...
) - 1970 – 1970 FIFA World Cup1970 FIFA World CupThe 1970 FIFA World Cup, the ninth staging of the World Cup, was held in Mexico, from 31 May to 21 June. The 1970 tournament was the first World Cup hosted in North America, and the first held outside South America and Europe. In a match-up of two-time World Cup champions, the final was won by...
in Mexico (Brazil national football teamBrazil national football teamThe Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
) - 1972 – Campeonato PaulistaCampeonato PaulistaThe Campeonato Paulista de Futebol Profissional da Primeira Divisão - Série A1, simply known as the Campeonato Paulista, is the top-flight professional football league in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. The league is contested between 20 clubs and typically lasts from January to April...
and Campeonato BrasileiroCampeonato Brasileiro Série AThe Campeonato Brasileiro de Clubes da Série A , popularly known as the Brasileirão , is a professional football league at the top of the Brazilian football league system held annually since 1959. Contested by twenty clubs, it operates a system of promotion and relegation with the Série B...
(Palmeiras) - 1973 – Campeonato Brasileiro (Palmeiras)
- 1974 – Campeonato Paulista and Ramón de Carranza Trophy (Palmeiras)
- 1976 – Campeonato Paulista (Palmeiras)
- 1979 – Campeonato Brasileiro runner-up (Vasco do GamaClub de Regatas Vasco da GamaClub de Regatas Vasco da Gama |Rowing Club]]), usually known as Vasco da Gama or simply Vasco, is a famous and traditional Brazilian multisports club from Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, founded on August 21, 1898...
) - 1980 – Campeonato GaúchoCampeonato GaúchoThe Campeonato da Primeira Divisão de Futebol Profissional da FGF is the top tier of the footballleague of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.-Clubs:Clubs qualified to Campeonato Gaúcho Primeira Divisão 2011.*Canoas*Caxias...
(GrêmioGrêmio Foot-Ball Porto AlegrenseGrêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense, commonly known as just Grêmio , is a Brazilian professional association football team based in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul founded by English and German immigrants on September 15, 1903. Major titles captured by Grêmio include one Intercontinental Cup, two Copa...
) - 1981 – Campeonato Brasileiro (Grêmio)
- 1982 – Campeonato Brasileiro runner-up (Grêmio)
- 1983 – Campeonato Paulista (CorinthiansSport Club Corinthians PaulistaSport Club Corinthians Paulista, commonly just known as Corinthians , is a Brazilian football club based in the city of São Paulo. They play in the São Paulo state league, as well as the Brasileirão, Brazil's top national league...
) - 1987 – Campeonato Brasileiro (Sport Recife)
Statistics
|-|1971||rowspan="8"|Palmeiras||rowspan="8"|Série A
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A
The Campeonato Brasileiro de Clubes da Série A , popularly known as the Brasileirão , is a professional football league at the top of the Brazilian football league system held annually since 1959. Contested by twenty clubs, it operates a system of promotion and relegation with the Série B...
||24||0
|-
|1972||26||0
|-
|1973||36||0
|-
|1974||0||0
|-
|1975||26||0
|-
|1976||21||0
|-
|1977||18||0
|-
|1978||12||0
|-
|1979||rowspan="2"|Vasco da Gama||rowspan="2"|Série A
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A
The Campeonato Brasileiro de Clubes da Série A , popularly known as the Brasileirão , is a professional football league at the top of the Brazilian football league system held annually since 1959. Contested by twenty clubs, it operates a system of promotion and relegation with the Série B...
||14||0
|-
|1980||10||0
|-
|1981||rowspan="2"|Grêmio
Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense
Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense, commonly known as just Grêmio , is a Brazilian professional association football team based in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul founded by English and German immigrants on September 15, 1903. Major titles captured by Grêmio include one Intercontinental Cup, two Copa...
||rowspan="2"|Série A
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A
The Campeonato Brasileiro de Clubes da Série A , popularly known as the Brasileirão , is a professional football league at the top of the Brazilian football league system held annually since 1959. Contested by twenty clubs, it operates a system of promotion and relegation with the Série B...
||23||0
|-
|1982||23||0
|-
|1983||Corinthians||Série A
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A
The Campeonato Brasileiro de Clubes da Série A , popularly known as the Brasileirão , is a professional football league at the top of the Brazilian football league system held annually since 1959. Contested by twenty clubs, it operates a system of promotion and relegation with the Série B...
||13||0
|-
|1984||rowspan="2"|Palmeiras||rowspan="2"|Série A
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A
The Campeonato Brasileiro de Clubes da Série A , popularly known as the Brasileirão , is a professional football league at the top of the Brazilian football league system held annually since 1959. Contested by twenty clubs, it operates a system of promotion and relegation with the Série B...
||14||0
|-
|1985||17||0
|-
|1986||Sport Recife
Sport Club do Recife
Sport Club do Recife, more popularly known as Sport in Recife or Sport Recife in Northeastern Brazil, is a football team from Recife, Pernambuco.-1905 - Foundation:...
||Série A
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A
The Campeonato Brasileiro de Clubes da Série A , popularly known as the Brasileirão , is a professional football league at the top of the Brazilian football league system held annually since 1959. Contested by twenty clubs, it operates a system of promotion and relegation with the Série B...
||0||0
277||0
277||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 career
Leão has been a manager since 1987. He was São PauloSão Paulo Futebol Clube
São Paulo Futebol Clube , commonly known as São Paulo, is a professional football club based in São Paulo, Brazil. They play in the Campeonato Paulista, São Paulo's state league, and the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A or Brasileirão, Brazil's national league, and are one of the only five clubs to...
manager in 2005, winning the Campeonato Paulista
Campeonato Paulista
The Campeonato Paulista de Futebol Profissional da Primeira Divisão - Série A1, simply known as the Campeonato Paulista, is the top-flight professional football league in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. The league is contested between 20 clubs and typically lasts from January to April...
of that year. He then moved to Vissel Kobe
Vissel Kobe
is a Japanese professional football club, currently playing in the J. League Division 1. The team is located in Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture. The home stadium is Kobe Wing Stadium, in Hyōgo-ku, though some home matches are played at Kobe Universiade Memorial Stadium in Suma-ku.-History:The club was...
of Japan, where he stayed for only four matches. On July 18, 2005 he became Palmeiras' manager, a position he held until March, 2006. His peak as a manager was his second period at Santos
Santos Futebol Clube
Santos Futebol Clube is a Brazilian professional football club based in Santos, São Paulo They play in the Campeonato Paulista and the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, the highest professional leagues in São Paulo state and Brazil, respectively....
, between 2002 and 2004, when he won the Campeonato Brasileiro in 2002, and was runner-up in both Copa Libertadores de América
Copa Libertadores de América
The Copa Santander Libertadores de América , known simply as the Copa Libertadores and originally known as the Copa Campeones de América , is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960...
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 Brazilian national football team
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
manager from November 15, 2000 until June 9, 2001. Of eleven matches, he won four, drew four, and lost three. Like his predecessor Vanderlei Luxemburgo
Vanderlei Luxemburgo
Vanderlei Luxemburgo da Silva , better known as Vanderlei Luxemburgo, is a Brazilian football manager and former football player. He holds the distinction of being the most successful manager in the history of Brazil's Série A, with 5 league titles...
, he struggled having top players available for qualifying matches. He tried to center the team around Romário
Romário
Romário de Souza Faria , better known simply as Romário , is a former footballer who played striker,manager and current politician where is currently running for a mayor like position in his hometown...
and younger players with hardly any 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
Rivaldo
Rivaldo Vítor Borba Ferreira , commonly known simply as Rivaldo , is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays for São Paulo, on loan from Mogi Mirim, as an attacking midfielder and sometimes as a supporting striker.He most notably played five years with Spanish club FC Barcelona, with whom he...
and Roberto Carlos for matches that were not crucial.
Leão was dismissed by Atlético Mineiro
Clube Atlético Mineiro
Clube Atlético Mineiro , are a Brazilian football club based in Belo Horizonte, the oldest in the city. Founded in 1908, they play in the Campeonato Mineiro and Campeonato Brasileiro Série A or Brasileirão. Atlético Mineiro have been Brazilian champions once, state winners a record 40 times and...
on May 4, 2009, following a defeat to arch-rivals Cruzeiro
Cruzeiro Esporte Clube
Cruzeiro Esporte Clube is a Brazilian football team, from Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, and are one of the only five clubs to have never been relegated, along with Santos, São Paulo, Flamengo and Internacional. Founded on January 2, 1921, they are only one of three clubs to have participated in...
in the final of a regional championship. This is ending his third stint as Atlético manager. On June 3, 2009 Sport Recife
Sport Club do Recife
Sport Club do Recife, more popularly known as Sport in Recife or Sport Recife in Northeastern Brazil, is a football team from Recife, Pernambuco.-1905 - Foundation:...
's have signed the coach for the up-coming 2009 Brasileirão championship, Leão was dismissed by Atlético Mineiro
Clube Atlético Mineiro
Clube Atlético Mineiro , are a Brazilian football club based in Belo Horizonte, the oldest in the city. Founded in 1908, they play in the Campeonato Mineiro and Campeonato Brasileiro Série A or Brasileirão. Atlético Mineiro have been Brazilian champions once, state winners a record 40 times and...
in May. On April 26, 2010 Leão was named as the new Goias Esporte Clube
Goiás Esporte Clube
Goiás Esporte Clube, also known as Goiás, is a Brazilian football team in Goiânia, Goiás state. It is one of the largest clubs of the Central-Western part of Brazil and they won the 'Série B once.Its main rival is Vila Nova...
manager.
Managerial honors
- 1987 – Campeonato BrasileiroCampeonato Brasileiro Série AThe Campeonato Brasileiro de Clubes da Série A , popularly known as the Brasileirão , is a professional football league at the top of the Brazilian football league system held annually since 1959. Contested by twenty clubs, it operates a system of promotion and relegation with the Série B...
(Sport RecifeSport Club do RecifeSport Club do Recife, more popularly known as Sport in Recife or Sport Recife in Northeastern Brazil, is a football team from Recife, Pernambuco.-1905 - Foundation:...
) - 1992 – Kanagawa Cup (Shimizu S Pulse)
- 1996 – Emperor's CupEmperor's Cup, commonly known as or , is a Japanese association football competition. It has the longest tradition of any football tournament in Japan, dating back to 1921, before the formation of the J. League, Japan Football League and their predecessor, Japan Soccer League...
(Verdy Kawasaki) - 1997 – Copa ConmebolCopa CONMEBOLThe Copa CONMEBOL was an annual football cup competition organized by CONMEBOL between 1992 and 1999 for eligible South American football clubs. During its time of existence, it was the third most prestigious South American club football contest after the Copa Libertadores and Supercopa...
(Atlético MineiroClube Atlético MineiroClube Atlético Mineiro , are a Brazilian football club based in Belo Horizonte, the oldest in the city. Founded in 1908, they play in the Campeonato Mineiro and Campeonato Brasileiro Série A or Brasileirão. Atlético Mineiro have been Brazilian champions once, state winners a record 40 times and...
) - 1998 – Copa Conmebol (SantosSantos Futebol ClubeSantos Futebol Clube is a Brazilian professional football club based in Santos, São Paulo They play in the Campeonato Paulista and the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, the highest professional leagues in São Paulo state and Brazil, respectively....
) - 2000 – Campeonato PernambucanoCampeonato PernambucanoThe Campeonato Pernambucano de Futebol is the football championship of Pernambuco state, Brazil, and is organized by the Pernambuco Football Federation....
(Sport Recife) - 2002 – Campeonato Brasileiro (SantosSantos Futebol ClubeSantos Futebol Clube is a Brazilian professional football club based in Santos, São Paulo They play in the Campeonato Paulista and the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, the highest professional leagues in São Paulo state and Brazil, respectively....
) - 2005 – Campeonato Paulista (São PauloSão Paulo Futebol ClubeSão Paulo Futebol Clube , commonly known as São Paulo, is a professional football club based in São Paulo, Brazil. They play in the Campeonato Paulista, São Paulo's state league, and the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A or Brasileirão, Brazil's national league, and are one of the only five clubs to...
)