Héctor Raúl Cúper is a famous Argentine football manager and former player. He was born on November 16, 1955. He recently coached the Syria national team.

As a player, Héctor Cúper was a defender. He spent most of his playing career at Ferro Carril Oeste. There, he played 463 games. People called him "Cabezón," which means "Big head."

He became well-known as a manager with Mallorca. He led them to the Copa del Rey final in 1998. A year later, they reached the final of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. He also helped them achieve their best-ever third-place finish in the league.

Later, he managed Valencia for two years. During this time, his team reached the UEFA Champions League final twice. After that, he moved to Italy to coach Internazionale in 2001.

Cúper also managed other teams like Betis and Racing Santander in Spain. He coached Parma in Italy. He also led national teams for Georgia, Egypt, Uzbekistan, and DR Congo. He guided Egypt to the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations final and to the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

About Héctor Cúper
Playing Football
Coaching Career
Honours and Achievements
- As a Player
- As a Manager
See also

About Héctor Cúper

Héctor Cúper was born in Chábas, a small town in Santa Fe, Argentina. His great-grandfather was from England. He moved to Argentina and married a local woman. However, most of Héctor's family background is Italian.

His mother passed away when he was very young. He and his younger brother were raised by their grandmother.

Playing Football

Like many young football players in the 1960s, Cúper moved to Buenos Aires. He wanted to become a professional footballer. He took time off from his bank job to find a team.

He eventually joined Ferro Carril Oeste. While playing for this club, he helped them win the Argentine Primera División twice. They won in 1982 and again in 1984.

Coaching Career

Starting as a Coach

Héctor Cúper began his coaching career with Huracán. This was about a year and a half after he stopped playing. He led Huracán to second place in the 1994 Clausura tournament. They lost the final match for the title to Independiente.

In 1995, he moved to Lanús. There, he won his first trophy as a manager. This was the Copa CONMEBOL.

In the summer of 1997, he became the coach for Mallorca. In his very first season, he led this smaller club to the Copa del Rey final. They lost to Barcelona. However, they won the 1998 Supercopa de España against the same team.

The next season, Mallorca reached the final of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. They lost to Lazio. That season, Mallorca also finished third in La Liga. This was their best-ever finish and allowed them to play in the UEFA Champions League.

Coaching Valencia

In March 1999, the manager of Valencia said he wanted Cúper to take over. Cúper decided not to sign a new contract with Mallorca. He left in June to join Valencia.

At Valencia, he won another Supercopa de España. However, he lost the UEFA Champions League final two times in a row. In 2000, they lost to Real Madrid. In 2001, they lost to Bayern Munich after a penalty shootout.

Coaching Internazionale

On June 22, 2001, Cúper became the coach for the Italian club Internazionale. In his first season, the team was close to winning their first league title since 1989. But they lost their final game to Lazio. This meant their rivals Juventus won the title, and Inter finished third.

In the 2002–03 season, Cúper's team finished second in Serie A. They also reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League. They lost to their city rivals AC Milan because of the away goals rule. He was fired from the club on October 19, 2003. This was after six matches of the 2003–04 season, when the team was in eighth place.

Return to Mallorca and Other Clubs

Cúper with Parma in May 2008

On November 2, 2004, Cúper returned to Mallorca. The team was in 19th place after 10 matches. He helped the team avoid being moved to a lower league on the very last day of the season. He signed some new players. However, he resigned on February 14, 2006. The team was in last place after not winning for nine games.

On July 16, 2007, Cúper was announced as the new manager of Real Betis. He signed a one-year contract. He was fired on December 2, 2007. The team was in 19th place after losing a home game to Atlético Madrid.

On March 11, 2008, he became the new coach of Parma. This team was struggling in Italy's Serie A. He replaced Domenico Di Carlo. He was fired two months later, before the last game of the season. He had only won two out of 10 matches. This led to Parma being moved to a lower league.

Coaching from 2008 to 2013

In August 2008, Cúper became the head coach of the Georgia national team. He agreed to leave in November 2009. His team had only earned three points and no wins in the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification games.

On November 3, 2009, Cúper agreed to coach the Greek club Aris Thessaloniki. He stayed until the end of the 2009–10 season. On December 15, he extended his contract until June 2011. On April 24, Cúper lost another final. This time it was the Greek Football Cup against Panathinaikos.

In the 2010–11 season, Cúper led Aris to the Round of 32 in the 2010–11 UEFA Europa League. They finished second in their group with 10 points. They had two surprising wins against Atlético Madrid. On January 18, 2011, Cúper decided to leave his coaching job. This was after some poor results in Greece.

On June 29, 2011, Cúper returned to Spain's La Liga with Racing Santander. He signed for one season. However, after five months, he left the team. They were in last place, and he left by agreement with the club.

Cúper signed a contract with the Turkish team Orduspor on December 19, 2011. He left the club by agreement on April 13, 2013.

On November 14, 2013, Cúper was announced as the new head coach of the UAE League team Al Wasl. He was fired on March 4, 2014, because of poor results.

Coaching National Teams Again

Egypt National Team

Cúper (centre) managing Egypt at the 2018 World Cup

On March 2, 2015, the Egyptian Football Association hired Cúper. He became the new manager of their national football team. At the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, he led the team to the final. They lost 2–1 to Cameroon.

He then led Egypt to the 2018 FIFA World Cup. This was their first time in the tournament since 1990. They qualified after beating Congo 2–1. His contract was set to end after the tournament. After Egypt lost all three of their group games at the tournament, it was announced that Cúper's contract would not be renewed.

Uzbekistan National Team

On August 1, 2018, Cúper became the head coach of the Uzbekistan national team. He signed a contract to stay until the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He was fired in September 2019. This happened after a surprising 2–0 loss to Palestine. This was their first qualifying game for that tournament.

DR Congo National Team

On May 13, 2021, Cúper was appointed manager of the DR Congo. He lost his first game 1–0 to Tunisia in a friendly match on June 5. In March 2022, his team did not qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. They lost 5–2 to Morocco in a playoff. He was dismissed on June 9, 2022. This was after losing to Gabon and Sudan in the first qualifying games for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

Syria National Team

On February 2, 2023, Cúper became the head coach of the Syria national team. He helped recruit three players with Syrian family ties from Argentina. These players were Ezequiel Ham, Ibrahim Hesar, and Jalil Elías. This happened before the 2023 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar.

Under Cúper, Syria made it to the knockout stage of the Asian tournament. They were one of the best third-placed teams. This was after a 1–0 win over India. It was the first time Syria had ever reached the knockout stage. Their previous six appearances had ended in the group stages.

In February 2024, he extended his contract with the national team. He agreed to stay for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification. However, after two away losses, 1–0 to North Korea and 5–0 to Japan, Syria failed to qualify for the World Cup. Cúper then resigned from his position as head coach of Syria in June 2024.

Honours and Achievements

As a Player

Ferro Carril Oeste

Primera División: 1982 Nacional, 1984 Nacional

Huracán

Primera B Nacional: 1989–90

As a Manager

Huracán

Primera División runner-up: 1994 Clausura

Lanús

Copa CONMEBOL: 1996

Mallorca

Supercopa de España: 1998
Copa del Rey runner-up: 1997–98
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup runner-up: 1998–99

Valencia

Supercopa de España: 1999
UEFA Champions League runner-up: 1999–2000, 2000–01

Aris FC Thessaloniki

Greek Cup runner-up: 2009–10

Egypt

Africa Cup of Nations runner-up: 2017

Individual Awards

La Liga Coach of the Year – Don Balón Award: 1999
UEFA Club Coach of the Year: 2000
Globe Soccer Awards best Best Arab National Team Coach: 2017
CAF Coach of the Year: 2017

Héctor Cúper facts for kids

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