Levir Culpi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Levir Culpi

Culpi in 2017
Personal information
Full name	Levir Culpi
Date of birth	(1953-02-28) 28 February 1953 (age 72)
Place of birth	Curitiba, Brazil
Position(s)	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
International career
1972	Brazil U20
Managerial career
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
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Levir Culpi is a famous Brazilian football coach and former player. He was born on February 28, 1953, in Curitiba, Brazil. During his playing days, he was a strong centre-back, which is a defensive position in football. After he stopped playing, he became a coach and led many teams to victory, winning important championships in Brazil and even in Japan.

Playing Career Highlights

Levir Culpi, known simply as Levir when he played, started his football journey in 1972 with his hometown club, Coritiba. He played as a defender.

• In 1973, he had a short loan period with Botafogo.
• From 1974 to 1978, he played for Santa Cruz.
• He also played for several other teams like Colorado, Atlante, Vila Nova, Figueirense, and Juventude.
• He retired from playing football in 1985 while with Juventude.

Coaching Journey Begins

Right after he stopped playing in 1985, Levir Culpi started his coaching career with his last team, Juventude. He quickly moved on to coach other clubs.

• In 1988, Culpi led Internacional de Limeira to win the Campeonato Brasileiro Série B, which is a national championship in Brazil.
• He then coached Criciúma and helped them reach the quarterfinals of the 1992 Copa Libertadores, a big South American club tournament.

Coaching Successes in Brazil

Levir Culpi became known for his ability to lead different teams to success. He often moved between clubs, bringing his coaching skills to many places.

• In 1996, he won the Copa do Brasil with Cruzeiro. This is one of Brazil's most important football cups.
• He also won the Campeonato Mineiro (a state championship) with Cruzeiro in 1996 and 1998.
• In 1998, his Cruzeiro team won the Recopa Sudamericana, beating a strong team from Argentina, River Plate, with a big 5–0 score.
• In 2000, he coached São Paulo and won the Campeonato Paulista, another major state championship.
• In 2002, he coached Palmeiras. Even though the team faced a tough year and was relegated (moved down to a lower league), he helped Botafogo get promoted back to the top league in 2003.
• He also led Atlético Mineiro to promotion in 2006, bringing them back to Brazil's top football division.

Adventures in Japan

Levir Culpi also had a very successful time coaching in Japan with Cerezo Osaka.

• He first coached Cerezo Osaka in 1997.
• He returned to the club in May 2007 and stayed until 2011. During this time, he was known for finding and developing young talented players.
• He helped discover players like Shinji Kagawa, who later became a famous attacking midfielder. Kagawa and other young stars like Takashi Inui helped Cerezo Osaka get promoted to the J. League Division 1 in 2010.
• His team finished 3rd in 2010, which allowed them to play in the AFC Champions League, a big Asian club tournament.
• He left Japan in 2011 to spend time with his family but returned to Cerezo Osaka in August 2012 for another period until 2013.
• He had a final coaching spell with Cerezo Osaka in 2021.

Return to Atlético Mineiro and More Trophies

Levir Culpi had several stints (periods) coaching Atlético Mineiro, showing his strong connection with the club.

• In April 2014, he became Atlético Mineiro's coach for the fourth time.
• He had a fantastic year in 2014, winning two major titles: the Recopa Sudamericana and the Copa do Brasil.
• In 2015, he won his fifth Campeonato Mineiro trophy, making him one of the most successful coaches in that competition.
• He coached Atlético Mineiro for a total of 288 matches, winning 154 of them.
• In 2016, he coached Fluminense and won the first-ever Primeira Liga tournament.
• He also coached Santos in 2017 and had a fifth spell with Atlético Mineiro from 2018 to 2019.

Coaching Statistics

Honours and Achievements

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

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