Carlos César Sampaio Campos (born 31 March 1968) is a Brazilian football pundit and retired footballer, who played as a midfielder. He currently serves as an assistant coach with the Brazil national football team.

A former defensive midfielder, César Sampaio is one of the few players who played for the four major clubs from São Paulo (Santos, Palmeiras, Corinthians and São Paulo). A Palmeiras legend, he is considered one of the greatest players in the club's history, having played with the team from 1991 to 1994 and from 1999 to 2000. He won the Bola de Ouro (Brazilian Golden Ball award) twice, in 1990 and 1993.

César Sampaio joined the Brazil national football team during the Copa América in 1993, also took part at the 1995 edition of the tournament (where they finished as runners-up), but was not part of the team during the FIFA World Cup finals in neither 1990 nor 1994.

He was later also part of the Brazilian squad that won both the Copa América and the FIFA Confederations Cup in 1997, and played for Brazil at the 1998 FIFA World Cup finals, where he made six appearances in the team's run to the final, which they lost to the hosts of the tournament, France.^[1] At the 1998 FIFA World Cup finals, he became remembered for scoring the first goal of the entire tournament in the 4th minute of Brazil's opening match against Scotland, a header from a corner by Bebeto on the left.^[2] He also scored a brace in Brazil's 4–1 victory against Chile in the round of 16 during the same tournament.^[3]

Sampaio is also remembered for helping Ronaldo when he suffered a convulsive fit in the night before the 1998 FIFA World Cup final.^[4]

Sampaio has been described by FIFA.com as a "modern defensive midfielder who combined being an enforcer with playmaking from deep," and as a player who filled the void left by Dunga as the anchor in Brazil's midfield following his retirement after the 1998 World Cup, by dominating "the engine room." He is considered to be one of Palmeiras's greatest players ever.^[5][6]

César Sampaio retired from professional football in 2004. He has recently said that he wants to become a manager and he is starting his coaching badges.^{[citation needed]}

He later served as an assistant coach and scout for the Brazil national team, as part of the team's coaching staff during the 2022 FIFA World Cup.^[7][8]