Levir Culpi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Levir Culpi

Culpi in 2017
Personal information
Date of birth	(1953-02-28) 28 February 1953 (age 72)
Place of birth	Curitiba, Brazil
Playing position	Centre-back
Youth career
	Coritiba
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1972–1973	Coritiba	20	(0)
1973	→ Botafogo (loan)	1	(0)
1974–1978	Santa Cruz	57	(0)
1978–1979	Colorado
1979–1980	Atlante	32	(1)
1980	Vila Nova
1980–1981	Colorado	5	(0)
1982–1983	Figueirense
1984–1985	Juventude
National team
1972	Brazil U20
Teams managed
1986	Juventude
1986	Caxias
1986–1987	Atlético Paranaense
1988	Marcílio Dias
1988	Inter de Limeira
1989	Inter de Limeira
1989–1990	Criciúma
1990	Inter de Limeira
1991	Coritiba
1991	Inter de Limeira
1992	Criciúma
1992	Al-Ittifaq
1993	Paraná Clube
1994	Guarani
1994–1995	Atlético Mineiro
1995	Portuguesa
1996	Cruzeiro
1997	Cerezo Osaka
1998–1999	Cruzeiro
2000	São Paulo
2001	Sport
2001	Atlético Mineiro
2002	Palmeiras
2003–2004	Botafogo
2004	Atlético Paranaense
2005	Cruzeiro
2005	São Caetano
2006–2007	Atlético Mineiro
2007–2011	Cerezo Osaka
2012–2013	Cerezo Osaka
2014–2015	Atlético Mineiro
2016	Fluminense
2017	Santos
2018	Gamba Osaka
2018–2019	Atlético Mineiro
2021	Cerezo Osaka
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Levir Culpi, born on February 28, 1953, is a famous Brazilian football coach. He used to be a professional football player himself. He played as a defender in the middle of the field.

Playing Career of Levir Culpi

During his time as a player, Levir Culpi was known simply as Levir. He was born in Curitiba, a city in the state of Paraná, Brazil. He started his football journey in 1972 with his hometown club, Coritiba.

After a short loan period at Botafogo in 1973, he joined Santa Cruz in 1974. Levir played for several other clubs throughout his career. These included Colorado, Atlante, Vila Nova, and Figueirense. He finished his playing career in 1985 with Juventude.

Levir Culpi's Coaching Journey

Right after he stopped playing, Levir Culpi became a football coach. He began his coaching career with his last club, Juventude, in 1986. After coaching Caxias, he became the head coach of Atlético Paranaense in 1986.

Early Coaching Successes

Culpi then coached Marcílio Dias. In 1988, he led Internacional de Limeira to win the Campeonato Brasileiro Série B. This was their second national title. He also managed Criciúma, Internacional, and Coritiba.

In 1992, he returned to Criciúma. He helped the team reach the quarterfinals of the 1992 Copa Libertadores. They were eventually knocked out by São Paulo, who went on to win the tournament.

Moving Between Clubs

In the years that followed, Culpi coached many different clubs. He worked with Al-Ittifaq in Saudi Arabia, Paraná Clube, Guarani, Atlético Mineiro, Portuguesa, and Cruzeiro. In 1997, he moved to Japan to manage Cerezo Osaka.

He returned to Cruzeiro in 1998. There, he famously won the Recopa Sudamericana by beating River Plate 5–0 over two games. In 2000, he took over São Paulo but left in November. He also coached Sport and Atlético Mineiro in 2001.

In 2002, he became the coach of Palmeiras. However, he could not prevent the club from being relegated from the top league for the first time. In 2003, he helped Botafogo get promoted back to the main league. He later returned to Atlético Paranaense in 2004.

Returning to Atlético Mineiro and Cerezo Osaka

Culpi coached Cruzeiro again in 2005. After that, he managed São Caetano. In 2006, he helped Atlético Mineiro get promoted to the top league.

In May 2007, Levir Culpi went back to Japan to coach J. League Division 2 team Cerezo Osaka. During his time there, he helped discover and develop talented young players. One of them was Shinji Kagawa, who became a star attacking midfielder. Kagawa worked well with another young player, Takashi Inui.

Under Culpi's guidance, Cerezo Osaka was promoted to the J. League Division 1 in 2010. He was known for building attacking teams and helping young players grow. With players like Kagawa, Inui, Akihiro Ienaga, and Hiroshi Kiyotake, the team finished 3rd in 2010. This allowed them to play in the AFC Champions League.

In 2011, Culpi decided to return to Brazil to spend time with his family. However, he came back to Cerezo Osaka in August 2012.

Later Career and Achievements

In April 2014, Levir Culpi became the coach of Atlético Mineiro for the fourth time. He had a very successful year in 2014, winning both the Recopa Sudamericana and the Copa do Brasil. In 2015, he reached his 228th match as coach for Atlético Mineiro. This made him the third coach with the most games for the club.

On May 3, 2015, Culpi won the Campeonato Mineiro trophy for the fifth time in his career. He left Atlético Mineiro in November 2015. He had coached 288 matches, with 154 wins, 60 draws, and 74 losses.

On March 4, 2016, Culpi was announced as the new coach of Fluminense. He won the first-ever Primeira Liga with them. He left Fluminense in November 2016.

In June 2017, Culpi signed a contract with Santos. He was dismissed in October of that year. In October 2018, he returned to Atlético Mineiro for his fifth time. He was sacked in April 2019 after a loss in a major match. He also had another short spell with Cerezo Osaka in 2021.

Coaching Statistics

Honours and Trophies

Levir Culpi has won many titles as both a player and a manager.

As a Player

Coritiba

• Campeonato Paranaense: 1973

Santa Cruz

• Campeonato Pernambucano: 1976

As a Manager

Inter de Limeira

• Campeonato Brasileiro Série B: 1988

Criciúma

• Campeonato Catarinense: 1989

Paraná

• Campeonato Paranaense: 1993

Cruzeiro

• Copa do Brasil: 1996
• Campeonato Mineiro: 1996, 1998
• Recopa Sudamericana: 1998
• Copa Centro-Oeste: 1999

São Paulo

• Campeonato Paulista: 2000

Atlético Mineiro

• Campeonato Mineiro: 1995, 2007, 2015
• Campeonato Brasileiro Série B: 2006
• Recopa Sudamericana: 2014
• Copa do Brasil: 2014

Fluminense

• Primeira Liga: 2016

See also

In Spanish: Levir Culpi para niños