Émerson Leão (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈɛmeʁsõ leˈɐ̃w]; born 11 July 1949) is a Brazilian former footballer and manager. He is regarded by pundits as one of best Brazilian goalkeepers of all time.^[1][2] A documentary video produced by FIFA, FIFA Fever, called him the third-most impressive defense player of all time. He was born in Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo.

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Émerson Leão

Leão in 1982
Personal information
Full name	Émerson Leão
Date of birth	(1949-07-11) 11 July 1949 (age 74)
Place of birth	Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 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)
1984–1985	Palmeiras	31	(0)
1986	Sport Recife	0	(0)
Total		277	(0)
International career
1969–1986	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 1978 Argentina Copa América Runner-up 1983 1979
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Close

He was a FIFA World Cup champion in 1970 as a reserve player, at age 20. He then played the two following World Cups as first team player. He was the first Brazilian goalkeeper in history to be team captain (during the 1978 World Cup). Dida repeated the feat in 2006 in a group stage match against Japan. In the 1986 World Cup, Leão was a reserve player.

He played 80 times for the Brazil national football team. At club level, he played for several clubs, his longest term being at Palmeiras, where he won several titles, like Campeonato Brasileiro and Campeonato Paulista.

Leão has been a manager since 1987. He was São Paulo manager in 2005, winning the Campeonato Paulista of that year. He then moved to Vissel Kobe of Japan, where he stayed for only four matches. On 18 July 2005, he became the manager of Palmeiras, a position he held until March 2006. His peak as a manager was his second period at Santos, between 2002 and 2004, when he won the Campeonato Brasileiro in 2002, and was runner-up in both Copa Libertadores de América and Campeonato Brasileiro in 2003. Leão is often seen as a hardliner, since he demands perfect physical shape of his players, along with discipline and mutual respect. He is not fond of having well-known players on his teams, since he believes that this might cause relationship problems within the squad.

He was the manager of the Brazil nation team from 15 November 2000 until 9 June 2001. From 11 matches, his Brazil side won 4, drew 4 and lost 3. Like his predecessor Vanderlei Luxemburgo, he struggled having top players available for qualifying matches. He tried to centre the squad around Romário and younger players with little international experience. He also became the first sitting coach to travel to Europe to assess his players' activities there, where he was asked by the Europeans to not release Rivaldo and Roberto Carlos for matches that were not crucial.

Leão was dismissed by Atlético Mineiro on 4 May 2009 following a defeat to arch-rivals Cruzeiro in the final of a regional championship. This ended his third stint as Atlético head coach.^[3] On 3 June 2009, Sport Recife's have signed the coach for the up-coming 2009 Brasileirão championship.^[4] On 26 April 2010, Leão was named as the new manager of Goiás. On 24 October 2011, São Paulo announced it had hired Leão for a second managerial spell in charge of the club.^[5]

On 30 August 2012, after two months unattached, Leão was hired by São Caetano, then participating in Série B.^[6]

Leão is known for his controversial attitudes and declarations.

In 1997, after a game between his Atlético Mineiro and Argentine side Lanús in the Conmebol Cup final, Leão was involved in a massive fight with adversaries. Leão had to rebuild his face after the incident.^{[citation needed]}

In 2002, when he coached Santos, and Peixe faced Paysandu, Leão was involved again in a fight. This time, when his players faced policemen, the coach received an aggression in his eyes by a pepper spray.

In 2006, then coaching Palmeiras, Leão had problems with television pundit Milton Neves, that had kicked another television pundit, Sílvio Luiz, according to Leão. Leão said to Neves: "When you kicked Silvio Luiz's ass, a 70-year-old man, you boasted. Come to kick mine!"^[7]

In 2010, training Goiás, Leão discussed again with two another television pundits, Renata Fan and Neto. According to Leão, Neto "would not have psychological conditions to speak in a television channel". But the problems between them would happen since 1989, when Leão coached Neto in Palmeiras.^[8][9]

In 2013, in a research made by sports site UOL Esporte, Leão was elected the worst coach from Brazil. He had 16 votes. Celso Roth was chosen the second one.^[10]

Again in 2013, Leão said that Juvenal Juvêncio, president of São Paulo, club that he coached for two times (between 2004 and 2005 and, after, between 2011 and 2012), should abdicate, for his age, of his position, making like pope Benedict XVI. Juvêncio answered to Leão, saying that the coach "needs to find another job soon".^[11][12]

List of Brazil national football team managers