 Cúper asEgypt manager at the2018 FIFA World Cup | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Héctor Raúl Cúper | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1955-11-16)16 November 1955 (age 70) | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Santa Fe, Argentina | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | Centre back | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 1976–1977 | Ferro Carril Oeste | 5 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 1977–1978 | Independiente Rivadavia | 6 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
| 1978–1988 | Ferro Carril Oeste | 424 | (24) | ||||||||||||||
| 1988–1992 | Huracán | 132 | (8) | ||||||||||||||
| Total | 567 | (34) | |||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||
| 1984 | Argentina | 3 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | |||||||||||||||||
| 1993–1995 | Huracán | ||||||||||||||||
| 1995–1997 | Lanús | ||||||||||||||||
| 1997–1999 | Mallorca | ||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2001 | Valencia | ||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2003 | Inter Milan | ||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2006 | Mallorca | ||||||||||||||||
| 2007 | Real Betis | ||||||||||||||||
| 2008 | Parma | ||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2009 | Georgia | ||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2011 | Aris | ||||||||||||||||
| 2011 | Racing Santander | ||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2013 | Orduspor | ||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2014 | Al Wasl | ||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2018 | Egypt | ||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | Uzbekistan | ||||||||||||||||
| 2021–2022 | DR Congo | ||||||||||||||||
| 2023–2024 | Syria | ||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||
Héctor Raúl Cúper (Spanish pronunciation:[ˈeɣtoɾˈkupeɾ]; born 16 November 1955) is an Argentinefootballmanager and former player who was most recently head coach of theSyria national team.
As a player, he was a defender who spent most of his career atFerro Carril Oeste, where he played 463 games. His nickname was "Cabezón" ("Big head").[1]
He made his managerial breakthrough atMallorca, reaching theCopa del Rey final in 1998 and the final of theUEFA Cup Winners' Cup a year later, as well as a best-ever third-place finish. In two years atValencia, he reached theUEFA Champions League final twice, earning a move to Italy'sInternazionale in 2001.
Cúper also managedBetis andRacing Santander inLa Liga, andParma inSerie A. He later coached the national teams ofGeorgia,Egypt,Uzbekistan andDR Congo, taking the second of those countries to the2017 Africa Cup of Nations final and a place at the2018 FIFA World Cup.
Cúper's great-grandfather was an Englishman whose surname was Cooper, who migrated toSanta Fe Province in Argentina and married an indigenous woman. However, the majority of his heritage is Italian.[2]
He was born in Chábas,[3] a small settlement in Santa Fe. His mother died at the age of 20, months after the birth of his younger brother, and he was raised by his grandmother.[2]
As with most aspiring footballers in Chábas in the 1960s, Cúper moved toBuenos Aires to pursue his career. He took leave from his job at a bank to search for a team in the capital city, eventually being signed byFerro Carril Oeste. While at the club, he won theArgentine Primera División in1982 and1984.[2]
Cúper started his coaching career withHuracán, a year and a half after his retirement. He led the club to the 2nd place in theClausura 1994 tournament, eventually losing the last match against the rivals for the titleIndependiente. In 1995 he moved toLanús, where he won his first trophy as manager, theCopa CONMEBOL.[citation needed]
In the summer of 1997, he was hired byMallorca, and in the veryfirst season he drove the modest club to thefinal of theCopa del Rey, which he would lose againstBarcelona, but won the1998 Supercopa de España against the same opponent.[4] The followingseason the team reachedthe final of theUEFA Cup Winners' Cup, where they lost toLazio atVilla Park.[5] Thatseason Mallorca also recorded their best-ever La Liga finish of 3rd, allowing the team to play in theUEFA Champions League.[6]
In March 1999,Valencia managerClaudio Ranieri stated that he wanted Cúper to be his successor when he left at the end of the season;[7] Cúper turned down a new contract at Mallorca and left in June.[8] At Valencia, he won anotherSupercopa de España but lost the final of the Champions League two consecutive times; in2000 againstReal Madrid, and in2001 againstBayern Munich onpenalty shoot-out.[9]
On 22 June 2001, Cúper was hired by Italian clubInternazionale, replacingMarco Tardelli.[10] In his first season, the club started the final day on 5 May 2002 in pole position for a firstScudetto since 1989, but lost toLazio and handed the title to rivalsJuventus, retreating to the 3rd place.[11]
In the2002–03 season, Cúper's team ended up at 2nd place inSerie A and lost in the semi-finals ofUEFA Champions League tocity rivalsAC Milan on theaway goals rule, despite both teams playing their home games at theSan Siro.[12] He was fired from the club on 19 October 2003, after six matches of the2003–04 season, when the team was in 8th place.[13]
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On 2 November 2004 Cúper returned to Mallorca after the sacking ofBenito Floro, with the team 19th after 10 matches.[14] He saved the team from relegation on the last day, and made several signings, but resigned on 14 February 2006 with the team last following a nine-game winless run.[15]
On 16 July 2007, Cúper was revealed as the new manager ofReal Betis on a one-year deal.[16] He was sacked on 2 December with the team 19th after losing at home toAtlético Madrid.[17]
On 11 March 2008, he was unveiled as the new boss of relegation-battling Serie A teamParma, replacingDomenico Di Carlo at the helm of theGialloblù. He was then sacked two months later before the final game of the season after winning only two in 10 matches as manager, this eventually leading to Parma's relegation toSerie B.[18]
In August 2008, Cúper became the head coach of theGeorgia national team. He agreed to step down in November 2009 before the expiration of his contract, having taken just three points and no wins in2010 FIFA World Cup qualification.[19]
On 3 November 2009, Cúper agreed to continue his managerial career with Greek clubAris until the end of the 2009–10 season.[20] On 15 December, he extended his contract with Aris until June 2011. On 24 April Cúper lost another final, this time in theGreek Football Cup againstPanathinaikos.[21]
In the 2010–11 season, Cúper lead Aris in its first participation in the Round of 32 of the2010–11 UEFA Europa League, taking the club to second place in Group B with 10 points, after two surprise wins againstAtlético Madrid. On 18 January 2011 after some bad results in Greece, Cúper decided to step down from his managerial position.[22]
On 29 June 2011, Cúper returned to La Liga withRacing Santander, signing for one season. However, after five months he left the last-placed team by mutual agreement with the board.[23]
Cúper signed a contract withSüper Lig sideOrduspor on 19 December 2011,[24] but left by mutual consent on 13 April 2013.[25]
On 14 November 2013, Cúper was announced as new head coach of theUAE League sideAl Wasl.[26] He was sacked on 4 March 2014 due to poor results.[27]
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On 2 March 2015, theEgyptian Football Association appointed Cúper as the new manager of theirnational football team.[28] At the2017 Africa Cup of Nations, he led the team tothe final, which they lost 2–1 toCameroon.[29]
He led Egypt to the2018 FIFA World Cup, their first appearance in the tournament since 1990, after defeatingCongo by 2–1. His contract was due to expire at the end of the tournament, and negotiations were postponed until its conclusion.[30] Following defeats in Egypt's threegroup games at the tournament, it was announced that Cúper's contract would not be renewed.[31]
On 1 August 2018, Cúper became head coach of theUzbekistan national team, signing a contract that would take him through to the2022 FIFA World Cup.[32] He was sacked in September 2019 after a shock 2–0 loss away toPalestine in the first qualifying game for that tournament.[33]
On 13 May 2021, Cúper was appointed manager of theDR Congo.[34] He lost 1–0 away toTunisia in a friendly on his debut on 5 June.[35] In March 2022, his team missed out on the2022 FIFA World Cup after a 5–2 aggregate playoff loss toMorocco.[36] He was dismissed on 9 June 2022, having lost toGabon andSudan in the first2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.[37]
On 2 February 2023, Cúper became the head coach of theSyria national team on a contract of undisclosed length.[38] He managed to recruit three of his countrymen with Syrian descent,Ezequiel Ham,Ibrahim Hesar andJalil Elías, ahead of the2023 AFC Asian Cup held in Qatar. Under Cúper, Syria qualified to the knockout phase of the Asian tournament as one of the best third-placed teams following a 1–0 victory overIndia, the first time ever Syria managed to do so after six previous participations ended in the group stages.[39]
In February 2024, he extended his contract with the national team, committing to stay on board for the duration of the2026 FIFA World Cup qualification.[40] However, following two away defeats, 1–0 toNorth Korea,[41] and 5–0 toJapan, during the 2026 World Cup qualification, resulting in Syria's failure to qualify for the World Cup, Cúper resigned from his position as head coach of Syria.[42]
| Team | From | To | Record | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | Ref | |||
| Huracán | 1 July 1993 | 30 June 1995 | 63 | 21 | 19 | 23 | 033.33 | |
| Lanús | 1 July 1995 | 30 June 1997 | 72 | 33 | 22 | 17 | 045.83 | |
| Mallorca | 10 July 1997 | 31 May 1999 | 102 | 49 | 26 | 27 | 048.04 | |
| Valencia | 1 July 1999 | 30 June 2001 | 120 | 59 | 32 | 29 | 049.17 | |
| Internazionale | 22 June 2001 | 17 October 2003 | 110 | 57 | 31 | 22 | 051.82 | |
| Mallorca | 2 November 2004 | 13 February 2006 | 54 | 13 | 14 | 27 | 024.07 | |
| Real Betis | 14 July 2007 | 2 December 2007 | 14 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 014.29 | [43] |
| Parma | 11 March 2008 | 12 May 2008 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 020.00 | [44] |
| Georgia | 8 August 2008 | 15 October 2009 | 16 | 1 | 4 | 11 | 006.25 | |
| Aris | 8 November 2009 | 18 January 2011 | 62 | 26 | 14 | 22 | 041.94 | |
| Racing Santander | 1 July 2011 | 29 November 2011 | 13 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 007.69 | [45] |
| Orduspor | 20 December 2011 | 13 April 2013 | 50 | 14 | 18 | 18 | 028.00 | |
| Al Wasl | 12 November 2013 | 4 March 2014 | 16 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 025.00 | |
| Egypt | 2 March 2015 | 26 June 2018 | 38 | 19 | 7 | 12 | 050.00 | [46][47][48] |
| Uzbekistan | 1 August 2018 | 23 September 2019 | 17 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 041.18 | |
| DR Congo | 13 May 2021 | 9 June 2022 | 14 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 021.43 | |
| Syria | 2 February 2023 | 11 June 2024 | 17 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 029.41 | |
| Total | 789 | 319 | 219 | 251 | 040.43 | — | ||
Ferro Carril Oeste
Huracán
Huracán
Lanús
Mallorca
Valencia
Aris FC Thessaloniki
Egypt
Individual
International tournaments | |||||||||||||||||||
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