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Héctor Cúper

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Héctor Cúper
Cúper as Egypt manager at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
Personal information
Full name Héctor Raúl Cúper
Date of birth (1955-11-16) 16 November 1955 (age 69)
Place of birth Santa Fe, Argentina
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s) 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 Thessaloniki
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
Men's football
Representing  Egypt (as manager)
Africa Cup of Nations
Runner-up 2017
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Héctor Raúl Cúper (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈeɣtoɾ ˈkupeɾ]; born 16 November 1955) is an Argentine football manager and former player who was most recently head coach of the Syria national team.

As a player, he was a defender who spent most of his career at Ferro Carril Oeste, where he played 463 games. His nickname was "Cabezón" ("Big head").[1]

He made his managerial breakthrough at Mallorca, reaching the Copa del Rey final in 1998 and the final of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup a year later, as well as a best-ever third-place finish. In two years at Valencia, he reached the UEFA Champions League final twice, earning a move to Italy's Internazionale in 2001.

Cúper also managed Betis and Racing Santander in La Liga, and Parma in Serie A. He later coached the national teams of Georgia, Egypt, Uzbekistan and DR Congo, taking the second of those countries to the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations final and a place at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Personal life

[edit]

Cúper's great-grandfather was an Englishman whose surname was Cooper, who migrated to Santa 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]

Playing career

[edit]

As with most aspiring footballers in Chábas in the 1960s, Cúper moved to Buenos 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 by Ferro Carril Oeste. While at the club, he won the Argentine Primera División in 1982 and 1984.[2]

Managerial career

[edit]

Early career

[edit]

Cúper started his coaching career with Huracán, a year and a half after his retirement. He led the club to the 2nd place in the Clausura 1994 tournament, eventually losing the last match against the rivals for the title Independiente. In 1995 he moved to Lanús, where he won his first trophy as manager, the Copa CONMEBOL.[citation needed]

In the summer of 1997, he was hired by Mallorca, and in the very first season he drove the modest club to the final of the Copa del Rey, which he would lose against Barcelona, but won the 1998 Supercopa de España against the same opponent.[4] The following season the team reached the final of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, where they lost to Lazio at Villa Park.[5] That season Mallorca also recorded their best-ever La Liga finish of 3rd, allowing the team to play in the UEFA Champions League.[6]

Valencia

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In March 1999, Valencia manager Claudio 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 another Supercopa de España but lost the final of the Champions League two consecutive times; in 2000 against Real Madrid, and in 2001 against Bayern Munich on penalty shoot-out.[9]

Internazionale

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On 22 June 2001, Cúper was hired by Italian club Internazionale, replacing Marco Tardelli.[10] In his first season, the club started the final day on 5 May 2002 in pole position for a first Scudetto since 1989, but lost to Lazio and handed the title to rivals Juventus, retreating to the 3rd place.[11]

In the 2002–03 season, Cúper's team ended up at 2nd place in Serie A and lost in the semi-finals of UEFA Champions League to city rivals AC Milan on the away goals rule, despite both teams playing their home games at the San Siro.[12] He was fired from the club on 19 October 2003, after six matches of the 2003–04 season, when the team was in 8th place.[13]

Mallorca return, Betis, Parma

[edit]
Cúper with Parma in May 2008

On 2 November 2004 Cúper returned to Mallorca after the sacking of Benito 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 of Real Betis on a one-year deal.[16] He was sacked on 2 December with the team 19th after losing at home to Atlético Madrid.[17]

On 11 March 2008, he was unveiled as the new boss of relegation-battling Serie A team Parma, replacing Domenico Di Carlo at the helm of the Gialloblù. 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 to Serie B.[18]

2008–2013

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In August 2008, Cúper became the head coach of the Georgia national team. He agreed to step down in November 2009 before the expiration of his contract, having taken just three points and no wins in 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification.[19]

On 3 November 2009, Cúper agreed to continue his managerial career with Greek club Aris Thessaloniki 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 the Greek Football Cup against Panathinaikos.[21]

In the 2010–11 season, Cúper lead Aris in its first participation in the Round of 32 of the 2010–11 UEFA Europa League, taking the club to second place in Group B with 10 points, after two surprise wins against Atlético 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 with Racing 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 with Süper Lig side Orduspor 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 the UAE League side Al Wasl.[26] He was sacked on 4 March 2014 due to poor results.[27]

Return to international football

[edit]

Egypt

[edit]
Cúper (centre) managing Egypt at the 2018 World Cup

On 2 March 2015, the Egyptian Football Association appointed Cúper as the new manager of their national football team.[28] At the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, he led the team to the final, which they lost 2–1 to Cameroon.[29]

He led Egypt to the 2018 FIFA World Cup, their first appearance in the tournament since 1990, after defeating Congo 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 three group games at the tournament, it was announced that Cúper's contract would not be renewed.[31]

Uzbekistan

[edit]

On 1 August 2018, Cúper became head coach of the Uzbekistan national team, signing a contract that would take him through to the 2022 FIFA World Cup.[32] He was sacked in September 2019 after a shock 2–0 loss away to Palestine in the first qualifying game for that tournament.[33]

DR Congo

[edit]

On 13 May 2021, Cúper was appointed manager of the DR Congo.[34] He lost 1–0 away to Tunisia in a friendly on his debut on 5 June.[35] In March, his team missed out on the 2022 FIFA World Cup after a 5–2 aggregate playoff loss to Morocco.[36] He was dismissed on 9 June 2022, having lost to Gabon and Sudan in the first 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.[37]

Syria

[edit]

On 2 February 2023, Cúper became the head coach of the Syria national team on a contract of undisclosed length.[38] He managed to recruit three of his countrymen with Syrian descent, Ezequiel Ham, Ibrahim Hesar and Jalil Elías, ahead of the 2023 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 over India, 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 the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification.[40] However, following two away defeats, 1–0 to North Korea,[41] and 5–0 to Japan, 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]

Managerial statistics

[edit]
As of 11 June 2024
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 —

Honours

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Player

[edit]

Ferro Carril Oeste

Huracán

Manager

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Huracán

Lanús

Mallorca

Valencia

Aris FC Thessaloniki

Egypt

Individual

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Statistics of Cuper as a player". LaFerropedia.
  2. ^ a b c Segurola, Santiago (20 May 2001). "El hombre inescrutable". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 September 2021.
  3. ^ "Cúper, Héctor". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  4. ^ Bazúa, J. (7 March 2016). "Supercopa de España 1998: el club estrena la vitrina" [Supercopa de España 1998: the club starts off the trophy cabinet]. Diario de Mallorca (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  5. ^ "Freeze frame Villa Park May, 1999: Lazio win the last ever UEFA Cup Winners' Cup final". The Scotsman. 23 May 2009. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  6. ^ "El Mallorca vivió su mejor época con Antonio Asensio" [Mallorca experienced their best season with Antonio Asensio]. El Mundo (in Spanish). 21 April 2001. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  7. ^ Ros, Cayetano (9 March 1999). "Ranieri recomendó al Valencia que contratara a Héctor Cúper" [Ranieri recommended that Valencia sign Héctor Cúper]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  8. ^ "Héctor Cúper deja el Mallorca" [Héctor Cúper leaves Mallorca]. El Mundo (in Spanish). 31 May 1999. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  9. ^ "Bayern crowned European champions". BBC Sport. 23 May 2001. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  10. ^ "Cuper named Inter Milan's new coach". The Irish Times. 22 June 2001. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  11. ^ Labbate, Antonio (4 May 2012). "Remembering May 5, 2002". Football Italia. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  12. ^ "AC Milan edge out Inter". BBC Sport. 13 May 2003. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  13. ^ Richardson, Martin (19 October 2003). "Cuper fails Italian test". BBC Sport. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  14. ^ "Cuper back at struggling Mallorca". CNN. 2 November 2004. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  15. ^ "Mallorca coach Hector Cuper resigns". IOL. 14 February 2006. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  16. ^ Baskett, Simon (17 July 2007). "Betis unveil new coach Cuper, announce signings". Reuters. Archived from the original on 13 April 2019. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  17. ^ "El Betis destituye a Héctor Cúper" [Betis dismiss Héctor Cúper]. El País (in Spanish). 3 December 2007. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  18. ^ "Parma sack coach Cuper with one match of the season remaining". The Star. 14 May 2008. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  19. ^ Coerts, Stefan (3 November 2009). "Hector Cuper Resigns As Georgia Coach". Goal. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  20. ^ "Cúper es el nuevo entrenador del Aris Salónica" [Cúper is the new manager of Aris Thessaloniki] (in Spanish). Infobae. 3 November 2009. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  21. ^ Túnez, Javier Martín (8 February 2017). "El hombre que no sabe ganar finales" [The man who doesn't know how to win finals]. Diario de Mallorca (in Spanish). Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  22. ^ Wood, Graham (18 January 2011). "FUTBOL-Argentino Cúper renuncia como DT del Aris griego" [FOOTBALL-Argentine Cúper resigns as manager of Greece's Aris] (in Spanish). Notimérica. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  23. ^ Higgins, Marcus (30 November 2011). "Racing Santander sack coach Hector Cuper". Goal. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  24. ^ "Hector Cuper to take over Orduspor" Archived 24 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Goal. 19 December 2011. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  25. ^ "Hector Cuper ends journey with Turkey’s Orduspor". Hürriyet Daily News. 14 April 2013. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  26. ^ "Al Wasl introduce new head coach Hector Cuper". UAE Pro League Committee. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
  27. ^ Rizvi, Ahmed (5 March 2014). "Al Wasl part ways with Hector Cuper after brief, disappointing tenure". The National. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
  28. ^ "Argentinean Héctor Cúper appointed Egypt coach in surprise move". Ahram Online. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  29. ^ a b Wilson, Jonathan (5 February 2017). "Afcon 2017: Cameroon's Aboubakar wins final with late goal against Egypt". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  30. ^ "Cuper to discuss renewal of contract with Pharaohs after World Cup: EFA president". Ahram Online. 24 May 2018. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
  31. ^ "Egypt manager Hector Cuper leaves his role after World Cup exit". BBC Sport. 26 June 2018. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
  32. ^ "Football: Argentine Hector Cuper takes over as Uzbekistan head coach". Channel NewsAsia. 2 August 2018. Archived from the original on 13 April 2019. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
  33. ^ "Uzbekistan dismiss head coach Hector Cuper after FIFA World Cup Qualifiers defeat to Palestine". Fox Sports Asia. 23 September 2019. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  34. ^ "Cuper nommé sélectionneur de la République démocratique du Congo" [Cúper named manager of DR Congo]. L'Équipe (in French). 13 May 2021. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
  35. ^ Khouini, Khaled (7 June 2021). "La RDC perd, mais ne déçoit pas : Un onze en reconstruction" [The DRC lose, but do not disappoint: an XI in reconstruction]. La Presse (in French). Retrieved 21 September 2021.
  36. ^ "L'Algérie et le Cameroun en prolongations, le Maroc et la Tunisie iront au Qatar !" [Algeria and Cameroon in extra time, Morocco and Tunisia are going to Qatar!] (in French). Onze Mondial. 29 March 2022. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  37. ^ "Hector Cuper: Argentine coach sacked by DR Congo after qualifying defeats". BBC Sport. 9 June 2022. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  38. ^ "Cuper takes over as Syria coach". beIN SPORTS. 2 February 2023. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  39. ^ "Syria beat India to reach Asian Cup knockouts for first time". France 24. 23 January 2024.
  40. ^ "Héctor Cúper & Essam El-Hadary extend Syria national team contract". Kingfut. 8 February 2024.
  41. ^ "Asian Qualifiers - Group B: DPR Korea 1-0 Syria". AFC. 6 June 2024.
  42. ^ "Héctor Cúper resigns, Syria loses to Japan 0-5 in the twin qualifiers to world Cup and Asia". SANA. 11 June 2024.
  43. ^ "2007–08 Real Betis results". Sky Sports. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  44. ^ "2007–08 Parma F.C. results". ESPN FC. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  45. ^ "Héctor Cúper managerial statistics". Soccerbase. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  46. ^ "Egypt matches". FIFA. Archived from the original on 10 April 2016. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  47. ^ "Egypt". AfricanFootball. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  48. ^ "Egypt". The World Game. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  49. ^ "Real storm to Cup glory". BBC Sport. 24 May 2020. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
  50. ^ "Bayern crowned European champions". BBC Sport. 23 May 2001. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
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