Luís Alonso Pérez, also known as Lula (1 March 1922 – 15 June 1972), was a Brazilian football

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities ...

, notably managing Santos from 1954 to 1966. Lula is known as one of the most successful Brazilian football managers.

Career

Born in Santos, São Paulo, Lula worked as a

taxicab A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choi ...

, a baker and a

milkman Milk delivery is a delivery service dedicated to supplying milk. This service typically delivers milk in bottles or cartons directly to customers' homes. This service is performed by a milkman, milkwoman, or milk deliverer. (In contrast, a cow ...

. 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 Santos Futebol Clube (), commonly known simply as Santos or Santos FC and nicknamed the ''Peixe'' (; "fish"), is a Brazilian sports club based in Vila Belmiro, a '' bairro'' in the city of Santos. It is also the team with the most goals i ...

, being the subdirector of the club's amateur sides. On 13 May 1952, he was named in charge of the club's youth teams. Lula acted as an interim manager for two matches in 1952, as

Aymoré Moreira Aymoré Moreira (24 April 1912 – 26 July 1998) was a Brazilian football player and coach, who played as a goalkeeper. He was a brother of Zezé Moreira and Ayrton Moreira, both of whom were also successful coaches in Brazilian football. ...

was in charge of the São Paulo official team. He later became Moreira's assistant while 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. Lula's first match in charge occurred three days later, a 3–2 win against

Botafogo Botafogo (local/standard alternative Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: ) is a beachfront neighborhood ('' bairro'') in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is a mostly upper middle class and small commerce community, and is located between the hills of ...

at the Maracanã Stadium. 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 ''Os Santásticos'' (, ''The Santastics'') is the nickname for the group of Santos Futebol Clube players coached by Lula and Antoninho that won a total of 25 titles between 1959 and 1974, including two Copa Libertadores. Often considered one ...

''; he made Pelé a regular starter from 1957, promoted Pagão and

Pepe Pepe is a pet form of the Spanish name José (Josep). It is also a surname. * People Mononyms * Pepe (footballer, born 1935), real name José Macia, Brazilian footballer *Pepe (footballer, born 1983), real name Képler Laveran Lima Ferreira ...

from the youth setup, brought Coutinho from lowly XV de Piracicaba and approved

Dorval Dorval () is an on-island suburban city on the island of Montreal in southwestern Quebec, Canada. In 2016, the Canadian Census indicated that the population increased by 4.2% to 18,980. Although the city has the largest surface area in Montré ...

on a trial, after the latter was rejected by a number of clubs. In the 1960s, the club signed Calvet,

Lima Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of the central coastal part of ...

, Mengálvio and Zito, all recommended by the manager. 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. In 1967, Lula took over Portuguesa Santista before being appointed manager of

Corinthians The First Epistle to the Corinthians ( grc, Α΄ ᾽Επιστολὴ πρὸς Κορινθίους) is one of the Pauline epistles, part of the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The epistle is attributed to Paul the Apostle and a co-aut ...

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. Lula later worked for Portuguesa and

Santo André Santo ('saint' in various languages) may refer to: People * Santo (given name) * Santo (surname) * El Santo, Rodolfo Guzmán Huerta (1917–1984), Mexican wrestler and actor * Bob Santo or Santo, stage name of Ghanaian comedian John Evans Kwadwo ...

in the early 1970s.

Death

Lula died on 15 June 1972, having a generalized

infection An infection is the invasion of tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmissible disease or communicable dis ...

due to a

kidney The kidneys are two reddish-brown bean-shaped organs found in vertebrates. They are located on the left and right in the retroperitoneal space, and in adult humans are about in length. They receive blood from the paired renal arteries; blo ...

transplant, worsened due to his hypertension.

Honours

;Santos * Taça Brasil:

1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba (Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 (K ...

1962 Events January * January 1 – Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand. * January 3 – Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro for preaching communism. * January 8 – Harmelen train disaster: 93 die in the wor ...

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Co ...

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarc ...

, 1965 * Campeonato Paulista: 1955, 1956, 1958, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1965 * Intercontinental Cup:

* Copa Libertadores:

* Torneio Rio-São Paulo: 1959, 1963, 1964, 1966

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lula 1922 births 1972 deaths Sportspeople from Santos, São Paulo Brazilian people of Spanish descent Brazilian football managers Campeonato Brasileiro Série A managers Santos FC managers Sport Club Corinthians Paulista managers Associação Atlética Portuguesa (Santos) managers Associação Portuguesa de Desportos managers Esporte Clube Santo André managers Deaths from hypertension