Cristian Leiva (Chilean footballer)

Cristian Rodrigo Leiva Godoy (born 3 March 1976), nicknamed Flaco (Skinny),[1] is a Chilean football manager and former footballer who played as a defender.

For the Argentine footballer (born 1977), see Cristian Leiva.
Cristian Leiva
Personal information
Full name Cristian Rodrigo Leiva Godoy
Date of birth (1976-03-03) 3 March 1976
Place of birth Papudo, Chile
Height 1.81 m (5 ft 11+1⁄2 in)
Position(s) Left-back
Youth career
Universidad de Chile
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1996–1998 Universidad de Chile 4 (0)
1998 → Deportes Iquique (loan) 23 (0)
1999–2000 Deportes La Serena 33 (3)
2001–2003 Unión San Felipe 56 (8)
2003 Unión Española 12 (0)
2004–2006 Coquimbo Unido 101 (5)
2007 Huachipato 22 (0)
2008 Deportes Antofagasta 5 (0)
2008 Unión San Felipe 18 (0)
Total 274 (16)
Managerial career
2011–2012 Universidad de Chile (youth)
2017–2019 Chile U15
2019–2020 Chile U17
2019–2020 Chile U23 (assistant)
2020–2021 Deportes Iquique
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Club career

Leiva began his professional career with Universidad de Chile, staying only two years at the club.[2] Along with La U, he played the last minutes in a 1996 Copa Libertadores match against Barcelona de Guayaquil at the quarter-finals.[3][2] After he was on loan to Deportes Iquique, he played for several clubs in Chile, being his greatest achievement to become runner-up of the 2005 Torneo Apertura with Coquimbo Unido, after losing the final against Unión Española.[4]

Managerial career

On 2011, Leiva began his managerial career at the youth categories of Universidad de Chile and Jorge Sampaoli, manager of La U, gave him in charge of the "sparring team".

From 2012 to 2019 - with the managers Jorge Sampaoli, Juan Antonio Pizzi and Reinaldo Rueda - he worked in the technical staff of Chile national team as a video and report assistant and Chile U15's manager (from 2017 to 2019).[2] At this term, he was known as a "spy" by watching slyly the Chile's opponents.[1] After Hernán Caputto left Chile U17, on 9 July 2019 he was confirmed as the new manager for the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup,[5] where Chile U17 reached the second stage. At the same time, he also worked as assistant coach of Bernardo Redín in Chile U23 in both 2019 Maurice Revello Tournament and 2020 Pre-Olympic Tournament.[6]

On 2020, he took his first challenge at the Chilean Primera División by assuming the management of Deportes Iquique.[7]

References
  1. "Cristian Leiva, de espía a director" [Cristian Leiva, from spy to manager] (in Spanish). La Tercera. 31 August 2019. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  2. "Cristian Leiva: El entrenador al que no le gusta que le digan "espía"" [Cristian Leiva: The manager who doesn't like to be called as a "spy"] (in Spanish). RedGol. 24 October 2019. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  3. Barcelona - Universidad de Chile 1:1
  4. "Unión Española obtuvo su más preciado "tesoro" en Coquimbo" [Unión Española earned its greatest valued "treasure" in Coquimbo] (in Spanish). alairelibre.cl. 9 July 2005. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  5. "Ex jugador de Coquimbo Unido es el nuevo entrenador de la selección Sub 17" [A former Coquimbo Unido's player is the new manager of Chile U17] (in Spanish). Diario El Día. 9 July 2019. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  6. "La nueva función de Cristián Leiva en la selección chilena" [The new job of Cristian Leiva in the Chile national team] (in Spanish). as.com. 8 January 2020. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  7. "Cristian Leiva fue anunciado como nuevo entrenador de Deportes Iquique" [Cristian Leiva was announced as new manager of Deportes Iquique] (in Spanish). alairelibre.cl. 25 September 2020. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
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