.jpg) Álvarez in 2010 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Leonel de Jesús Álvarez Zuleta | ||
| Date of birth | (1965-07-29)29 July 1965 (age 60) | ||
| Place of birth | Remedios, Colombia | ||
| Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Defensive midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Atlético Bucaramanga (manager) | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1983–1986 | Independiente Medellín | 189 | (3) |
| 1987–1989 | Atlético Nacional | 42 | (0) |
| 1990 | América de Cali | 0 | (0) |
| 1990–1992 | Real Valladolid | 35 | (0) |
| 1992–1995 | América de Cali | 115 | (5) |
| 1996 | Dallas Burn | 22 | (3) |
| 1997 | Veracruz | 20 | (2) |
| 1998–1999 | Dallas Burn | 48 | (0) |
| 1999–2001 | New England Revolution | 58 | (2) |
| 2002 | Deportivo Pereira | 25 | (1) |
| 2003–2004 | Deportes Quindío | 16 | (0) |
| Total | 570 | (16) | |
| International career | |||
| 1985–1997 | Colombia | 101 | (1) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2007 | Deportivo Pereira (assistant) | ||
| 2008–2009 | Independiente Medellín (assistant) | ||
| 2009–2010 | Independiente Medellín | ||
| 2010–2011 | Colombia (assistant) | ||
| 2011 | Colombia | ||
| 2012 | Once Caldas | ||
| 2012 | Itagüí | ||
| 2013–2014 | Deportivo Cali | ||
| 2014 | Veracruz | ||
| 2015–2017 | Independiente Medellín | ||
| 2017–2018 | Cerro Porteño | ||
| 2018–2019 | Club Libertad | ||
| 2022 | Águilas Doradas | ||
| 2023 | Cienciano | ||
| 2024 | Deportivo Pereira | ||
| 2024 | Emelec | ||
| 2025– | Atlético Bucaramanga | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Leonel de Jesús Álvarez Zuleta (born 29 July 1965) is a Colombianfootballmanager and former player who played as adefensive midfielder. He is the current manager ofAtlético Bucaramanga.[2]
Álvarez played 101 times for theColombia national team between 1985 and 1997, making him the third mostcapped player in Colombian international football.[3] He also served as head coach of the Colombia national team in 2011, and is the only coach to have been champion twice withIndependiente Medellín.
Álvarez was born inRemedios, Colombia. He began his career withIndependiente Medellín in 1983. In 1989, he was part of theAtlético Nacional team that won theCopa Libertadores in 1989. He won aColombian league title withAmérica de Cali in 1990 and another in 1992.
He has also played forVeracruz of Mexico andReal Valladolid of Spain.[citation needed]
Álvarez signed withMajor League Soccer before the league's inaugural 1996 season, and wasallocated to theDallas Burn on February 5, 1996.[4]
In his year with the team, Álvarez he scored three goals and five assists for the team from a defensive midfield position, and was named as part of theMLS Best XI.[4] Álvarez moved toMexico for the 1997 season, where he played forVeracruz. He returned to Dallas Burn in 1998, where he recovered his starting position; Álvarez would be an extremely important player in the Burn's central midfield for the next two years, but on August 13, 1999, he was traded to theNew England Revolution forAriel Graziani.[4] He played his first match for the Revolution five days later, starting in a home loss to theTampa Bay Mutiny. During the2000 New England Revolution season, Álvarez scored his first goal for the Revolution, on April 1 against theLA Galaxy.[5] He started all 3 matches of the Revolutions 2000 playoff campaign.[5]
Álvarez played for the Revolution throughout 2001 before the team decided not to renew his contract for the 2002 season.[6]
Late in his career, he returned to Colombian football, where he played forDeportes Quindío and forDeportivo Pereira.[citation needed]
Álvarez appeared in a total of 101 games for theColombia, making his debut on 14 February 1985 againstPoland. He appeared for Colombia in the1990 and1994 World Cups, playing in a total of seven games. Additionally, he played in theCopa América for his native country in1987,1989,1991,1993, and1995.
Álvarez began his coaching career as technical assistant atDeportivo Pereira, one of his former clubs. In 2008, he worked as the assistant coach atIndependiente Medellín, the team he began his career with, working as Santiago Escobar's understudy. After Escobar was fired Álvarez was promoted and given his first head coach opportunity. In his debut season as a coach, he helped make Medellín champions. In May 2010 he was named the assistant coach of theColombia national team. In September 2011, he was appointed head coach of the team, following the resignation ofHernánBolillo Gómez.[7] He got off to a good start by beatingBolivia, but was sacked on 14 December that year after the Colombian squad recorded a 1–1 draw withVenezuela and a 2–1 loss withArgentina in theWorld Cup qualifying campaign. In July 2012, he was appointed asItagüí's new coach.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 June 1987 | Estadio Atanasio Girardot,Medellín, Colombia |  Ecuador | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
Atlético Nacional
América de Cali
Individual
Independiente Medellín
Deportivo Cali
Leonel Álvarez international tournaments | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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