_-_C%25C3%25A9sar_Lucena.jpg) Lucena in 2024 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | César Ricardo de Lucena | ||
| Date of birth | (1980-07-06)6 July 1980 (age 45) | ||
| Place of birth | Guarulhos, Brazil | ||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Position | Centre back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Sport Recife (interim) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Flamengo-SP | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1999–2002 | Flamengo-SP | ||
| 2002–2004 | Portuguesa | ||
| 2003 | →Portuguesa Santista (loan) | ||
| 2005 | Marília | ||
| 2005–2006 | Guarani | 35 | (2) |
| 2006 | Asteras Tripolis | 9 | (0) |
| 2007 | Sport Recife | 22 | (2) |
| 2008 | Figueirense | ||
| 2008–2012 | Sport Recife | 130 | (2) |
| 2012–2013 | Santa Cruz | 9 | (1) |
| 2013–2014 | América Mineiro | 22 | (1) |
| 2015 | Novo Hamburgo | 6 | (0) |
| 2016 | Aimoré | 9 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2018–2019 | Sport Recife (assistant) | ||
| 2019–2020 | Sport Recife U20 | ||
| 2020– | Sport Recife (assistant) | ||
| 2020 | Sport Recife (interim) | ||
| 2021 | Sport Recife (interim) | ||
| 2022 | Sport Recife (interim) | ||
| 2022 | Sport Recife (interim) | ||
| 2022 | Sport Recife (interim) | ||
| 2023 | Sport Recife (interim) | ||
| 2024 | Sport Recife (interim) | ||
| 2024 | Sport Recife (interim) | ||
| 2025– | Sport Recife (interim) | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
César Ricardo de Lucena (born 6 July 1980), known asCésar Lucena or simplyCésar, is a Brazilianfootballcoach and former player who played as acentral defender. He is the current interim head coach ofSport Recife.
Born inGuarulhos, Lucena began his senior career with hometown sideFlamengo-SP. In 2002, he moved toPortuguesa and also spent a short period atPortuguesa Santista.
In June 2005, Lucena joinedGuarani fromMarília,[1] where he featured regularly. In 2006, he moved abroad for the first time in his career, joiningAsteras Tripolis in theFootball League Greece.
Lucena returned to Brazil in December 2006, after agreeing to a contract withSport Recife. He left the club in the end of the following year after failing to agree new terms, and subsequently joinedFigueirense; on 29 February 2008, however, he returned to Sport.[2]
Lucena quickly established himself as a starter for theLeão, lifting the2008 Copa do Brasil and threeCampeonato Pernambucano titles in a row. He left the club in 2012, after struggling with injuries.[3][4]
On 11 July 2012, after two months training to regain match fitness, Lucena signed a contract with Sport's rivalsSanta Cruz.[5] After failing to establish himself as a starter, he moved toAmérica Mineiro on 1 April 2013.[6]
Lucena leftCoelho in the end of 2014, and subsequently represented clubs in theRio Grande do Sul:Novo Hamburgo in 2015,[7] andAimoré in 2016.[8]
In April 2018, Lucena returned to Sport to work as one ofNelsinho Baptista's assistants. He remained at the club even after Nelsinho was fired, and was named interim manager in February 2019, afterMilton Cruz was dismissed;[9] however, he was not in charge of the first team in any matches, asGuto Ferreira was hired.
In August 2019, Lucena was named head coach of Sport's under-20 squad.[10] He became an assistant of the main squad for the 2020 campaign, and in February 2020, after Ferreira was sacked, Lucena was named interim head coach of the main squad.[11] After the appointment ofDaniel Paulista as head coach, he returned to his previous role.
Lucena served as an interim head coach on seven further occasions, notably being in charge of Sport for the remaining nine matches of the club in the2025 Série A.[12]
Sport
Figueirense