Lula (footballer, born 1922)

Luís Alonso Pérez, also known as Lula (1 March 1922 – 15 June 1972), was a Brazilian football manager, notably managing Santos from 1954 to 1966.

Lula
Lula in 1962
Personal information
Full name Luís Alonso Pérez
Date of birth (1922-03-01)1 March 1922
Place of birth Santos, São Paulo, Brasil
Date of death 15 June 1972(1972-06-15) (aged 50)
Place of death São Paulo, Brasil
Managerial career
Years Team
19XX–1951 Portuguesa Santista (youth)
1952–1954 Santos (youth)
1952 Santos (interim)
1954–1966 Santos
1967 Portuguesa Santista
1967–1968 Corinthians
1968–1969 Portuguesa
1971 Santo André

Lula is known as one of the most successful Brazilian football managers.

Career

Born in Santos, São Paulo, Lula worked as a taxicab, a baker and a milkman. He started to work as a manager with amateur clubs in his hometown, Palmeirinha and Americana. He subsequently joined Portuguesa Santista, in charge of the club's youth setup.

In January 1949, Lula signed his first contract with Santos FC, being the subdirector of the club's amateur sides.[1] On 13 May 1952, he was named in charge of the club's youth teams.[2]

Lula acted as an interim manager for two matches in 1952, as Aymoré Moreira was in charge of the São Paulo official team.[2] He later became Moreira's assistant while he was also in charge of the club's amateur sides, and on 2 June 1954, he replaced Italian Giuseppe Ottina as the first team manager.[1]

Lula's first match in charge occurred three days later, a 3–2 win against Botafogo at the Maracanã Stadium.[3] He led the club to the following year's Campeonato Paulista title, after a 20-year drought.

Lula was often described as the responsible for bringing together the team who was known as Os Santásticos; he made Pelé a regular starter from 1957, promoted Pagão and Pepe from the youth setup, brought Coutinho from lowly XV de Piracicaba and approved Dorval on a trial, after the latter was rejected by a number of clubs. In the 1960s, the club signed Calvet, Lima, Mengálvio and Zito, all recommended by the manager.[4]

Lula left Peixe in the end of the 1966 season; although it is mainly attributed to the club's second place in the Taça Brasil, some reported altercations with Pelé are also attributed to the manager's departure. He left the club after being 945 matches in charge, with 619 wins, 144 draws and 182 defeats.[2]

In 1967, Lula took over Portuguesa Santista before being appointed manager of Corinthians in November of that year. In charge for only 35 matches with the latter club, he helped the side to defeat former club Santos on 6 March 1968, ending an 11-year hoodoo.[4]

Lula later worked for Portuguesa and Santo André in the early 1970s.[5]

Death

Lula died on 15 June 1972, having a generalized infection due to a kidney transplant, worsened due to his hypertension.[6]

Honours
Santos

References
  1. "A estreia do insuperável Lula" [The debut of the insuperable Lula] (in Brazilian Portuguese). Santos FC. 3 June 2019. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  2. "Memória: Lula comandava, pela primeira vez, a equipe titular do Santos FC" [Memory: Lula took over, for the first time, the first team of Santos FC] (in Portuguese). Santos FC. 3 June 2017. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
  3. "Memória: Lula iniciava a gloriosa trajetória como técnico efetivo do Santos FC" [Memory: Lula started the glorious career as effective manager of Santos FC] (in Portuguese). Santos FC. 5 June 2018. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
  4. "Lula... o maior campeão do mundo" [Lula... the biggest champion of the world] (in Portuguese). Tardes de Pacaembu. 6 January 2014. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
  5. "LULA: o treinador que mais títulos conquistou no mundo" [LULA: the manager who won the most titles in the world] (in Portuguese). Memórias do Esporte. 5 November 2018. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
  6. "Lula: 35 anos sem o supercampeão" [Lula: 35 years without the super champion] (in Portuguese). Globo Esporte. 14 June 2007. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
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