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Émerson Leão facts for kids

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Émerson Leão
Émerson Leão.jpg
Leão in 1979
Personal information
Full name Émerson Leão
Date of birth (1949-07-11) 11 July 1949 (age 76)
Place of birth Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
Height 1.84 m (6 ft +1⁄2 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)
1984–1986 Palmeiras 31 (0)
1987 Sport Recife 30 (0)
Total 277 (0)
International career
1970–1986 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 1978 Argentina
Copa América
Runner-up 1983
Third 1979
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Émerson Leão (born on July 11, 1949) is a famous Brazilian former football goalkeeper and manager. Many football experts consider him one of the best Brazilian goalkeepers ever. A FIFA documentary called FIFA Fever even named him the third-most impressive defensive player of all time. He was born in Ribeirão Preto, a city in São Paulo, Brazil.

Playing Football: Leão's Career as a Goalkeeper

WK 74, training Brazilie keeper E Leao tijdens training, Bestanddeelnr 927-2955
Leão training during the 1974 World Cup

Leão became a FIFA World Cup champion in 1970 when he was just 20 years old. He was a reserve player on the winning team. After that, he played in the next two World Cups as the main goalkeeper.

He made history by becoming the first Brazilian goalkeeper to be the team captain during the 1978 World Cup. Another famous goalkeeper, Dida, later became captain in a 2006 World Cup match. Leão was also a reserve player in the 1986 World Cup.

Leão played 80 games for the Brazil national football team. For his club teams, he played for several different clubs. His longest time was with Palmeiras. There, he helped his team win many important titles, including the Brazilian Championship and the Campeonato Paulista.

Managing Teams: Leão's Coaching Journey

Leão started his career as a football manager in 1987. He managed many different teams throughout his career.

Key Managerial Achievements

One of his most successful periods as a manager was with Santos between 2002 and 2004. During this time, he led Santos to win the Brazilian Championship in 2002. They also finished second in both the Copa Libertadores de América and the Brazilian Championship in 2003.

In 2005, he managed São Paulo and won the Campeonato Paulista with them. He also had a short time managing Vissel Kobe in Japan. Later, he returned to manage Palmeiras again.

Leão's Coaching Style

Leão is known for being a strict manager. He expects his players to be in excellent physical shape and to be very disciplined. He also believes in mutual respect among teammates. He often preferred not to have too many very famous players on his teams. He thought that having too many big stars could sometimes cause problems within the team.

Managing the Brazilian National Team

Leão also had the important job of managing the Brazil national football team from November 2000 to June 2001. During this time, his team played 11 matches, winning 4, drawing 4, and losing 3. It was a challenging time because it was hard to get all the top players for qualifying matches. He tried to build the team around the famous player Romário and some younger players who did not have much international experience yet.

He was the first Brazilian coach to travel to Europe to check on his players who played for European clubs. European clubs sometimes asked him not to release their star players, like Rivaldo and Roberto Carlos, for matches that were not super important.

Later Coaching Roles

Leão continued to manage various clubs. In 2009, he was dismissed by Atlético Mineiro after a loss in a regional championship final. He then signed with Sport Recife and later with Goiás. In 2011, he returned to São Paulo for a second time as their manager. His last known coaching role was with São Caetano in 2012.

Honours and Awards

Émerson Leão won many awards and titles throughout his career, both as a player and as a manager.

Player Honours

Individual Awards

  • Bola de Prata Best Goalkeeper: 1972
  • FIFA XI: 1979
  • IFFHS Brazil All Times Dream Team (Team C): 2021

Manager Honours

  • Sport
    • Copa União Yellow Module: 1987
    • Campeonato Pernambucano: 2000
  • Verdy Kawasaki
  • Atlético Mineiro
    • Copa Conmebol: 1997
  • Santos
    • Copa Conmebol: 1998
    • Campeonato Brasileiro: 2002
  • São Paulo
    • Campeonato Paulista: 2005

Images for kids

  • Émerson Leão

    Leão in 1979

  • WK 74, training Brazilie keeper E Leao tijdens training, Bestanddeelnr 927-2955

    Leão training during the 1974 World Cup

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Emerson Leão para niños

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