Héctor Cúper

Héctor Raúl Cúper (born 16 November 1955) is an Argentine football manager and former player who is currently head coach of the Syria national team.

As a player, he was a defender who spent most of his career at Club Ferro Carril Oeste, where he played 463 games.

His nickname was "Cabezón" ("Big head").

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.

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.

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.

The following season the team reached the final of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, where they lost to Lazio at Villa Park.

That season Mallorca also recorded their best-ever La Liga finish of 3rd, allowing the team to play in the UEFA Champions League.

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 March 1999, Valencia manager Claudio Ranieri stated that he wanted Cúper to be his successor when he left at the end of the season; Cúper turned down a new contract at Mallorca and left in June.

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.

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.

On 22 June 2001, Cúper was hired by Italian club Internazionale, replacing Marco Tardelli.

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.

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.

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.

On 2 November 2004 Cúper returned to Mallorca after the sacking of Benito Floro, with the team 19th after 10 matches.

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.

On 16 July 2007, Cúper was revealed as the new manager of Real Betis on a one-year deal.

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.

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.

On 3 November 2009, Cúper agreed to continue his managerial career with Greek club Aris Thessaloniki until the end of the 2009–10 season.

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 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.

On 18 January 2011 after some bad results in Greece, Cúper decided to step down from his managerial position.

On 29 June 2011, Cúper returned to La Liga with Racing Santander, signing for one season.

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.

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.

He was born in Chábas, 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.

He was sacked on 2 December with the team 19th after losing at home to Atlético Madrid.