Vanderlei Luxemburgo

Five-time Brazilian champion and controversial Corinthians coach.

Vanderlei Luxemburgo da Silva (born 10 May 1952) is a retired former Brazilian professional football coach and player. A left wingback, he represented Flamengo, Internacional and Botafogo before retiring in 1980. He subsequently became a coach and led Palmeiras, Corinthians, Cruzeiro and Santos to Série A titles, winning the tournament five times, a record total. In 2005 he worked at Real Madrid, but was dismissed in December of that year. His surname is named after revolutionary Rosa Luxemburg.

Quick Facts

Full name: Vanderlei Luxemburgo da Silva
Born: 10 May 1952
Birthplace: Nova Iguaçu, Brazil
Position: Left wingback
Total caps: 128

Lore & Background

Luxemburgo returned to Corinthians on 5 February 2001, winning yet another Campeonato Paulista title. In the semifinal of that tournament, he stirred up controversy by having a one-way transmission device on a forward of his club team during a match. He said that the Cameroon match inspired him to create a device in order to tell his players where and when to attack. The CBF ruled days later that such electronic devices were illegal, but did not penalize him for using it in that match. On 12 December 2001, Luxemburgo was sacked.